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University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

Gift  of 
Anonomous   donor 


anO«oO>er«  stories 

w 

brokers 


The  little  man  dashed  his  right  foot  so 
deep  into  the  floor  that  he  was  forced 
to  lay  hold  of  it  with  both  hands  to 
pull  it  out. 


SEE  PAGE  274. 


stories 


tfrnmn 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

—  B  — 
PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


CONTENTS 

Hansel  and  Gretel      .... 

The  Six  Swans  ..... 

Little  Brother  and  Little  Sister     . 

The  Fisherman  and  His  Wife 

The  Drummer  ..... 

Rosebud   ...... 

The  Spindle,  the  Shuttle,  and  the  Needle 
Snowdrop  ..... 

Jorinde  and  Joringel  .... 

The  Goose  Girl          .... 

Clever  Alice       ..... 

Cherry,  or  the  Frog  Bride  . 


PAGE 
15 

31 

43 

57 
69 

87 

97 
107 

121 

129 


Vll 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Three  Little  Men  in  the  Wood    .         .         -165 
The  Valiant  Little  Tailor    .         .         .         .         .175 

Roland      ........     103 

The  Juniper  Tree       .         .         .         .         .         -203 

Rapunzel  .......     219 

The  Three  Magic  Gifts      .         .         .         .         .229 

Catskin      ........     249 

The  Golden  Goose     •         •         •         •         .         -261 

Rumpelstiltskin  .          .          .          .          .          -271 

The  Two  Brothers     .         .         .         .         .         .277 


Vlll 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Rumpelstiltskin 

The  little  man  dashed  his  right  foot  so  deep  into  the 
floor  that  he  was  forced  to  lay  hold  of  it  with  both  hands 
to  pull  it  out Frontispiece 


Hansel  and  Gretel 

They  saw  that  the  cottage  was  made  of  bread  and  cakes 

The  Six  Swans 

When  she  had  concluded,  the  King  was  overcome  with 
joy • 

Little  Brother  and  Little  Sister 

"Be  still,  little  Fawn,  and  I  will  never  forsake  you" 

The  Fisherman  and  His  Wife 

Then  the  fisherman  went  home  and  found  his  wife  sit- 
ting upon  a  throne,  and  she  had  three  great  crowns  upon 


her  head 


PAGE 

21 


37 


45 


iz 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Drummer  PAGE 

The  Drummer  began  to  play  his  drum  from  sheer  joy  .       73 

Rosebud 

Rosebud  looked  so  beautiful  he  stooped  down  and  gave 

her  a  kiss 89 

The  Spindle,  the  Shuttle,  and  the  Needle 

"What  do  I  see?"  cried  the  Prince.  "This  spindle  wants 

to  conduct  me  somewhere" 99 

Snowdrop 

They  wrote  her  name  upon  it,  in  golden  letters,  and  that 

she  was  a  king's  daughter 115 

Jorinde  and  Joringel 

At  once  Jorinde  stood  before  him  as  beautiful  as  ever   .     123 

The  Goose  Girl 

"Blow,  breezes,  blowl 
Let  Curdken's  hat  go! 
Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  him  after  it  go!"  .       .       .     133 

Clever  Alice 

The  bells  jingled  at  every  step  she  took       ....     147 

Cherry,  or  the  Frog  Bride 

Within  sat  his  old  friend  the  frog 159 

The  Three  Little  Men  in  the  Wood 

"And  what  do  you  think  she  found  there?    Actually,  ripe 
strawberries!"   .       . .169 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Valiant  Little  Tailor  PACE 

The  unicorn,  rushing  against  the  tree,  fixed  its  horn  so 
fast  in  the  trunk  that  it  could  not  draw  it  out  .        .        .185 

Roland 

From  that  day  everything  prospered  in  the  shepherd's 
house 197 

The  Juniper  Tree 

A  kind  of  cloud  came  from  the  tree,  and  in  the  middle 
was  a  burning  fire  and  out  of  the  fire  came  a  pretty  bird     207 

Rapunzel 

Snip,  snap,  she  cut  off  all  her  beautiful  tresses         .       .     223 

The  Three  Magic  Gifts 

The  host  screamed  for  mercy,  but  all  the  lustier  was  the 
cudgel  in  beating  time  on  his  back 241 

Catskin 

She  managed  to  slip  out  so  slyly  that  the  King  did  not 

see  where  she  was  gone 255 

The  Golden  Goose 

As  soon  as  she  saw  the  seven  all  hanging  together,  she 
could  not  help  bursting  into  a  long  and  loud  laugh        .     263 

The  Two  Brothers 

Then  the  dragon  made  a  dart  at  the  hunter,  but  he  swung 

his  sword  round  and  cut  off  three  of  the  beast's  heads  .     287 

• 

XI 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 


NCE  upon  a  time  there  dwelt  near 
a  large  wood  a  poor  woodcutter 
with  his  wife  and  two  children  by 
his  former  marriage,  a  little  boy 
called  Hansel,  and  a  girl  named 
Gretel.  He  had  little  enough  to 
break  or  bite;  and  once,  when 
there  was  a  great  famine  in  the  land, 
he  could  not  procure  even  his  daily  bread;  and  as  he  lay 
thinking  in  his  bed  one  evening,  rolling  about  for  trouble, 
he  sighed,  and  said  to  his  wife,  "  What  will  become  of 
us?  How  can  we  feed  our  children,  when  we  have  no 
more  than  we  can  eat  ourselves?  " 

"  Know  then,  my  husband,"  answered  she,  "  we  will 
lead  them  away,  quite  early  in  the  morning,  into  the 
thickest  part  of  the  wood,  and  there  make  them  a  fire, 
and  give  them  each  a  little  piece  of  bread;  then  we  will 
go  to  our  work,  and  leave  them  alone,  so  they  will  not 
find  the  way  home  again,  and  we  shall  be  freed  from 
them."  "  No,  wife,"  replied  he,  "  that  I  can  never  do ; 
how  can  you  bring  your  heart  to  leave  my  children  all 
alone  in  the  wood;  for  the  wild  beasts  will  soon  come 
and  tear  them  to  pieces?  " 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

"  Oh,  you  simpleton ! '"  said  she,  "  then  we  must  all 
four  die  of  hunger;  you  had  better  plane  the  coffins  for 
us."  But  she  left  him  no  peace  till  he  consented,  saying, 
"  Ah,  but  I  shall  regret  the  poor  children." 

The  two  children,  however,  had  not  gone  to  sleep 
for  very  hunger,  and  so  they  overheard  what  the  step- 
mother said  to  their  father.  Gretel  wept  bitterly,  and 
said  to  Hansel,  "  What  will  become  of  us?  "  "  Be  quiet, 
Gretel,"  said  he;  "do  not  cry — I  will  soon  help  you." 
And  as  soon  as  their  parents  had  fallen  asleep,  he  got  up, 
put  on  his  coat,  and,  unbarring  the  back  door,  slipped 
out.  The  moon  shone  brightly,  and  the  white  pebbles 
which  lay  before  the  door  seemed  like  silver  pieces,  they 
glittered  so  brightly.  Hansel  stooped  down,  and  put  as 
many  into  his  pocket  as  it  would  hold;  and  then  going 
back  he  said  to  Gretel,  "  Be  comforted,  dear  sister,  and 
sleep  in  peace;  God  will  not  forsake  us."  And  so  saying, 
he  went  to  bed  again. 

The  next  morning,  before  the  sun  arose,  the  wife  went 
and  awoke  the  two  children.  "  Get  up,  you  lazy  things; 
we  are  going  into  the  forest  to  chop  wood."  Then  she 
gave  them  each  a  piece  of  bread,  saying,  "  There  is  some- 
thing for  your  dinner;  do  not  eat  it  before  the  time,  for 
you  will  get  nothing  else."  Gretel  took  the  bread  in  her 
apron,  for  Hansel's  pocket  was  full  of  pebbles;  and  so 
they  all  set  out  upon  their  way.  When  they  had  gone 
a  little  distance,  Hansel  stood  still,  and  peeped  back  at 

16 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

the  house;  and  this  he  repeated  several  times,  till  his 
father  said,  "  Hansel,  what  are  you  peeping  at,  and  why 
do  you  lag  behind?  Take  care,  and  remember  your  legs." 

"  Ah,  father,"  said  Hansel,  "  I  am  looking  at  my 
white  cat  sitting  upon  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  trying 
to  say  good-bye."  "  You  simpleton ! "  said  the  wife, 
"that  is  not  a  cat;  it  is  only  the  sun  shining  on  the 
white  chimney."  But  in  reality  Hansel  was  not  looking 
at  a  cat;  but  every  time  he  stopped,  he  dropped  a  pebble 
out  of  his  pocket  upon  the  path. 

When  they  came  to  the  middle  of  the  wood  the  father 
told  the  children  to  collect  wood,  and  he  would  make 
them  a  fire,  so  that  they  should  not  be  cold.  So  Hansel 
and  Gretel  gathered  together  quite  a  little  mountain  of 
twigs.  Then  they  set  fire  to  them;  and  as  the  flame 
burnt  up  high,  the  wife  said,  "Now,  you  children,  lie 
down  near  the  fire,  and  rest  yourselves,  whilst  we  go  into 
the  forest  and  chop  wood;  when  we  are  ready  I  will 
come  and  call  you." 

Hansel  and  Gretel  sat  down  by  the  fire,  and  when  it 
was  noon,  each  ate  the  piece  of  bread;  and  because  they 
could  hear  the  blows  of  an  axe  they  thought  their  father 
was  near:  but  it  was  not  an  axe,  but  a  branch  which  he 
had  bound  to  a  withered  tree  so  as  to  be  blown  to  and 
fro  by  the  wind.  They  waited  so  long  that  at  last  their 
eyes  closed  from  weariness,  and  they  fell  fast  asleep. 
When  they  awoke,  it  was  quite  dark,  and  Gretel  began  to 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

cry,  "  How  shall  we  get  out  of  the  wood?  "  But  Hansel 
tried  to  comfort  her  by  saying,  "  Wait  a  little  while  till 
the  moon  rises,  and  then  we  will  quickly  find  the  way." 
The  moon  soon  shone  forth,  and  Hansel,  taking  his 
sister's  hand,  followed  the  pebbles,  which  glittered  like 
new-coined  silver  pieces,  and  showed  them  the  path.  All 
night  long  they  walked  on,  and  as  day  broke  they  came 
to  their  father's  house.  They  knocked  at  the  door,  and 
when  the  wife  opened  it,  and  saw  Hansel  and  Gretel,  she 
exclaimed,  "You  wicked  children!  why  did  you  sleep 
so  long  in  the  wood?  We  thought  you  were  never 
coming  home  again."  But  their  father  was  very  glad,  for 
it  had  grieved  his  heart  to  leave  them  all  alone. 

Not  long  afterwards  there  was  again  great  scarcity  in 
every  corner  of  the  land ;  and  one  night  the  children  over- 
heard their  mother  saying  to  their  father,  "Everything  is 
again  consumed;  we  have  only  half  a  loaf  left,  and  then 
the  song  is  ended:  the  children  must  be  sent  away.  We 
will  take  them  deeper  into  the  wood,  so  that  they  may  not 
find  the  way  out  again;  it  is  the  only  means  of  escape 
for  us." 

But  her  husband  felt  heavy  at  heart,  and  thought,  "  It 
were  better  to  share  the  last  crust  with  the  children." 
His  wife,  however,  would  listen  to  nothing  that  he  said, 
and  scolded  and  reproached  him  without  end. 

He  who  says  A  must  say  B  too;  and  he  who  consents 
the  first  time  must  also  the  second. 

18 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

The  children,  however,  had  heard  the  conversation 
as  they  lay  awake,  and  as  soon  as  the  old  people  went  to 
sleep  Hansel  got  up,  intending  to  pick  up  some  pebbles 
as  before;  but  the  wife  had  locked  the  door,  so  that  he 
could  not  get  out.  Nevertheless,  he  comforted  Gretel, 
saying,  "  Do  not  cry;  sleep  in  quiet;  the  good  God  will 
not  forsake  us." 

Early  in  the  morning  the  stepmother  came  and  pulled 
them  out  of  bed,  and  gave  them  each  a  slice  of  bread, 
which  was  still  smaller  than  the  former  piece.  On  the 
way,  Hansel  broke  his  in  his  pocket,  and,  stooping  every 
now  and  then,  dropped  a  crumb  upon  the  path.  "  Hansel, 
why  do  you  stop  and  look  about?  "  said  the  father,  "  keep 
in  the  path."  "  I  am  looking  at  my  little  dove,"  answered 
Hansel,  "  nodding  a  good-bye  to  me."  "  Simpleton !  " 
said  the  wife,  "  that  is  no  dove,  but  only  the  sun  shining 
on  the  chimney."  But  Hansel  kept  still  dropping  crumbs 
as  he  went  along. 

The  mother  led  the  children  deep  into  the  wood, 
where  they  had  never  been  before,  and  there  making  an 
immense  fire,  she  said  to  them,  "  Sit  down  here  and  rest, 
and  when  you  feel  tired  you  can  sleep  for  a  little  while. 
We  are  going  into  the  forest  to  hew  wood,  and  in  the 
evening,  when  we  are  ready,  we  will  come  and  fetch  you." 

When  noon  came  Gretel  shared  her  bread  with 
Hansel,  who  had  strewn  his  on  the  path.  Then  they 
went  to  sleep;  but  the  evening  arrived  and  no  one  came 

19 


HANSEL  AND  G  RET  EL 

to  visit  the  poor  children,  and  in  the  dark  night  they 
awoke,  and  Hansel  comforted  his  sister  by  saying,  "  Only 
wait,  Gretel,  till  the  moon  comes  out,  then  we  shall  see 
the  crumbs  of  bread  which  I  have  dropped,  and  they  will 
show  us  the  way  home."  The  moon  shone  and  they  got 
up,  but  they  could  not  see  any  crumbs,  for  the  thousands 
of  birds  which  had  been  flying  about  in  the  woods  and 
fields  had  picked  them  all  up.  Hansel  kept  saying  to 
Gretel,  "  We  will  soon  find  the  way  " ;  but  they  did  not, 
and  they  walked  the  whole  night  long  and  the  next  day, 
but  still  they  did  not  come  out  of  the  wood;  and  they 
got  so  hungry,  for  they  had  nothing  to  eat  but  the  berries 
which  they  found  upon  the  bushes.  Soon  they  got  so 
tired  that  they  could  not  drag  themselves  along,  so  they 
lay  down  under  a  tree  and  went  to  sleep. 

It  was  now  the  third  morning  since  they  had  left 
their  father's  house,  and  they  still  walked  on;  but  they 
only  got  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  wood,  and  Hansel 
saw  that  if  help  did  not  come  very  soon  they  would  die 
of  hunger.  As  soon  as  it  was  noon  they  saw  a  beautiful 
snow-white  bird  sitting  upon  a  bough,  which  sang  so 
sweetly  that  they  stood  still  and  listened  to  it.  It  soon  left 
off,  and  spreading  its  wings  flew  off;  and  they  followed 
it  until  it  arrived  at  a  cottage,  upon  the  roof  of  which  it 
perched;  and  when  they  went  close  up  to  it  they  saw 
that  the  cottage  was  made  of  bread  and  cakes,  and  the 
window-panes  were  of  clear  sugar. 

20 


They  saw  that  the  cottage  was  made  of 
bread  and  cakes. 


SEE  PAGE  20. 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

"  We  will  go  in  here,"  said  Hansel,  "  and  have  a 
glorious  feast.  I  will  eat  a  piece  of  the  roof,  and  you 
can  eat  the  window.  Will  they  not  be  sweet? "  So 
Hansel  reached  up  and  broke  a  piece  off  the  roof,  in 
order  to  see  how  it  tasted;  while  Gretel  stepped  up  to 
the  window  and  began  to  bite  it.  Then  a  sweet  voice 
called  out  in  the  room,  "  Tip-tap,  tip-tap,  who  raps  at 
my  door?  "  and  the  children  answered,  "  The  wind,  the 
wind,  the  child  of  heaven ! "  and  they  went  on  eating 
without  interruption.  Hansel  thought  the  roof  tasted 
very  nice,  and  so  he  tore  off  a  great  piece;  while  Gretel 
broke  a  large  round  pane  out  of  the  window,  and  sat  down 
quite  contentedly.  Just  then  the  door  opened,  and  a  very 
old  woman,  walking  upon  crutches,  came  out.  Hansel 
and  Gretel  were  so  frightened  that  they  let  fall  what 
they  had  in  their  hands;  but  the  old  woman,  nodding 
her  head,  said,  "  Ah,  you  dear  children,  what  has  brought 
you  here?  Come  in  and  stop  with  me,  and  no  harm  shall 
befall  you !  "  and  so  saying  she  took  them  both  by  the 
hand,  and  led  them  into  her  cottage.  A  good  meal  of 
milk  and  pancakes,  with  sugar,  apples,  and  nuts,  was 
spread  on  the  table,  and  in  the  back  room  were  two  nice 
little  beds,  covered  with  white,  where  Hansel  and  Gretel 
laid  themselves  down,  and  thought  themselves  in  heaven. 
The  old  woman  behaved  very  kindly  to  them,  but  in 
reality  she  was  a  wicked  witch  who  waylaid  children, 
and  built  the  breadhouse  in  order  to  entice  them  in;  but 

23 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

as  soon  as  they  were  in  her  power  she  killed  them, 
cooked  and  ate  them,  and  made  a  great  festival  of  the 
day.  Witches  have  red  eyes  and  cannot  see  very  far; 
but  they  have  a  fine  sense  of  smelling,  like  wild  beasts, 
so  that  they  know  when  children  approach  them.  When 
Hansel  and  Gretel  came  near  the  witch's  house  she 
laughed  wickedly,  saying,  "  Here  come  two  who  shall 
not  escape  me."  And  early  in  the  morning,  before  they 
awoke,  she  went  up  to  them,  and  saw  how  lovingly  they 
lay  sleeping,  with  their  chubby  red  cheeks;  and  she 
mumbled  to  herself,  "  That  will  be  a  good  bite."  Then 
she  took  up  Hansel  with  her  rough  hand,  and  shut  him 
up  in  a  little  cage  with  a  lattice-door;  and  although  he 
screamed  loudly  it  was  of  no  use.  Gretel  came  next, 
and,  shaking  her  till  she  awoke,  she  said,  "  Get  up,  you 
lazy  thing,  and  fetch  some  water  to  cook  something  good 
for  your  brother,  who  must  remain  in  that  stall  and  get 
fat;  when  he  is  fat  enough  I  shall  eat  him."  Gretel 
began  to  cry,  but  it  was  all  useless,  for  the  old  witch 
made  her  do  as  she  wished.  So  a  nice  meal  was  cooked 
for  Hansel,  but  Gretel  got  nothing  else  but  a  crab's 
claw. 

Every  morning  the  old  witch  came  to  the  cage  and 
said,  "  Hansel,  stretch  out  your  finger  that  I  may  feel 
whether  you  are  getting  fat."  But  Hansel  used  to  stretch 
out  a  bone,  and  the  old  woman,  having  very  bad  sight, 
thought  it  was  his  finger,  and  wondered  very  much  that 

24 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

he  did  not  get  more  fat.  When  four  weeks  had  passed, 
and  Hansel  still  kept  quite  lean,  she  lost  all  her  patience, 
and  would  not  wait  any  longer.  "  Gretel,"  she  called 
out  in  a  passion,  "get  some  water  quickly;  be  Hansel 
fat  or  lean,  this  morning  I  will  kill  and  cook  him."  Oh, 
how  the  poor  little  sister  grieved,  as  she  was  forced  to 
fetch  the  water,  and  fast  the  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks! 
"  Dear  good  God,  help  us  now !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Had 
we  only  been  eaten  by  the  wild  beasts  in  the  wood,  then 
we  should  have  died  together."  But  the  old  witch  called 
out,  "  Leave  off  that  noise ;  it  will  not  help  you  a  bit." 

So  early  in  the  morning  Gretel  was  forced  to  go 
out  and  fill  the  kettle,  and  make  a  fire.  "  First,  we  will 
bake,  however,"  said  the  old  woman;  "  I  have  already 
heated  the  oven  and  kneaded  the  dough  " ;  and  so  saying, 
she  pushed  poor  Gretel  up  to  the  oven,  out  of  which 
the  flames  were  burning  fiercely.  "  Creep  in,"  said  the 
witch,  "  and  see  if  it  is  hot  enough,  and  then  we  will 
put  in  the  bread";  but  she  intended  when  Gretel  got  in 
to  shut  up  the  oven  and  let  her  bake,  so  that  she  might 
eat  her  as  well  as  Hansel.  Gretel  perceived  what  her 
thoughts  were,  and  said,  "  I  do  not  know  how  to  do  it; 
how  shall  I  get  in? "  "  You  stupid  goose,"  said  she, 
"  the  opening  is  big  enough.  See,  I  could  even  get  in 
myself!  "  and  she  got  up,  and  put  her  head  into  the  oven. 
Then  Gretel  gave  her  a  push,  so  that  she  fell  right  in, 
and  then  shutting  the  iron  door  she  bolted  it.  Oh!  how 

25 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

horribly  she  howled;  but  Gretel  ran  away  and  left  the 
ungodly  witch  to  burn  to  ashes. 

Now  she  ran  to  Hansel,  and,  opening  his  door,  called 
out,  "Hansel,  we  are  saved;  the  old  witch  is  dead!" 
So  he  sprang  out,  like  a  bird  out  of  his  cage  when  the 
door  is  opened;  and  they  were  so  glad  that  they  fell 
upon  each  other's  neck,  and  kissed  each  other  over  and 
over  again.  And  now,  as  there  was  nothing  to  fear,  they 
went  into  the  witch's  house,  where  in  every  corner  were 
caskets  full  of  pearls  and  precious  stones.  "  These  are 
better  than  pebbles,"  said  Hansel,  putting  as  many  into 
his  pocket  as  it  would  hold;  while  Gretel  thought,  "I 
will  take  some  home  too,"  and  filled  her  apron  full. 
"  We  must  be  off  now,"  said  Hansel,  "  and  get  out  of  this 
enchanted  forest";  but  when  they  had  walked  for  two 
hours  they  came  to  a  large  piece  of  water.  "  We  cannot 
get  over,"  said  Hansel ;  "  I  can  see  no  bridge  at  all." 
"  And  there  is  no  boat  either,"  said  Gretel ;  "  but  there 
swims  a  white  duck,  I  will  ask  her  to  help  us  over  " ; 
and  she  sang: 

"  Little  Duck,  good  little  Duck, 

Gretel  and  Hansel,  here  we  stand ; 
There  is  neither  stile  nor  bridge, 
Take  us  on  your  back  to  land." 

SQ  the  duck  came  to  them,  and  Hansel  sat  himself  on, 
and  bade  his  sister  sit  behind  him.  "  No,"  answered 
Gretel,  "  that  will  be  too  much  for  the  duck,  she  shall 

26 


HANSEL  AND  GRETEL 

take  us  over  one  at  a  time."  This  the  good  little  bird 
did,  and  when  both  were  happily  arrived  on  the  other 
side,  and  had  gone  a  little  way,  they  came  to  a  well- 
known  wood,  which  they  knew  the  better  every  step 
they  went,  and  at  last  they  perceived  their  father's  house. 
Then  they  began  to  run,  and,  bursting  into  the  house, 
they  fell  on  their  father's  neck.  He  had  not  had  one 
happy  hour  since  he  had  left  the  children  in  the  forest: 
and  his  wife  was  dead.  Gretel  shook  her  apron,  and 
the  pearls  and  precious  stones  rolled  out  upon  the  floor, 
and  Hansel  threw  down  one  handful  after  the  other  out 
of  his  pocket.  Then  all  their  sorrows  were  ended,  and 
they  lived  together  in  great  happiness. 


THE  SIX  SWANS 


THE  SIX  SWANS 


KING  was  once  hunting  in  a  large 
wood,  and  pursued  his  game  so 
hotly  that  none  of  his  courtiers  could 
follow  him.  But  when  evening  ap- 
proached he  stopped,  and  looking 
around  him  perceived  that  he  had 
lost  himself.  He  sought  a  path  out 
of  the  forest,  but  could  not  find 
one,  and  presently  he  saw  an  old  woman  with  a  nodding 
head,  who  came  up  to  him.  "  My  good  woman,"  said 
he  to  her,  "  can  you  not  show  me  the  way  out  of  the 
forest?  " 

"Oh,  yes,  my  lord  King,"  she  replied;  "I  can  do 
that  very  well,  but  upon  one  condition,  which  if  you  do 
not  fulfil,  you  will  never  again  get  out  of  the  wood,  but 
will  die  of  hunger." 

"  What,  then,  is  this  condition?  "  asked  the  King. 
"  I  have  a  daughter,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  who  is  as 
beautiful  as  any  one  you  can  find  in  the  whole  world, 
and  well  deserves  to  be  your  bride.  Now,  if  you  will 
make  her  your  Queen,  I  will  show  you  your  way  out  of 
the  wood."  In  the  anxiety  of  his  heart,  the  King  con- 
sented, and  the  old  woman  led  him  to  her  cottage,  where 


THE  SIX  SWANS 

the  daughter  was  sitting  by  the  fire.  She  received  the 
King  as  if  she  had  expected  him,  and  he  saw  at  once  that 
she  was  very  beautiful,  but  yet  she  did  not  quite  please 
him,  for  he  could  not  look  at  her  without  a  secret  shud- 
dering. However,  after  all  he  took  the  maiden  upon  his 
horse,  and  the  old  woman  showed  him  the  way,  and  the 
King  arrived  safely  at  his  palace,  where  the  wedding  was 
to  be  celebrated. 

The  King  had  been  married  once  before,  and  had 
seven  children  by  his  first  wife,  six  boys  and  a  girl,  whom 
he  loved  above  everything  else  in  the  world.  He  became 
afraid,  soon,  that  the  stepmother  might  not  treat  them 
very  well,  and  might  even  do  them  some  great  injury,  so 
he  took  them  away  to  a  lonely  castle  which  stood  in  the 
midst  of  a  forest.  This  castle  was  so  hidden,  and  the  way 
to  it  so  difficult  to  discover,  that  he  himself  could  not 
have  found  it  if  a  wise  woman  had  not  given  him  a  ball 
of  cotton  which  had  the  wonderful  property,  when  he 
threw  it  before  him,  of  unrolling  itself  and  showing  him 
the  right  path.  The  King  went,  however,  so  often  to  see 
his  dear  children,  that  the  Queen  noticed  his  absence, 
became  inquisitive,  and  wished  to  know  what  he  went  to 
fetch  out  of  the  forest.  So  she  gave  his  servants  a  great 
quantity  of  money,  and  they  disclosed  to  her  the  secret, 
and  also  told  her  of  the  ball  of  cotton  which  alone  could 
show  her  the  way.  She  had  now  no  peace  until  she  dis- 
covered where  this  ball  was  concealed,  and  then  she  made 

32 


THE  SIX  SWANS 

some  fine  silken  shirts,  and,  as  she  had  learnt  of  her  mother, 
she  sewed  within  each  one  a  charm.  One  day  soon  after, 
when  the  King  was  gone  out  hunting,  she  took  the  little 
shirts  and  went  into  the  forest,  and  the  cotton  showed  her 
the  path.  The  children,  seeing  some  one  coming  in  the 
distance,  thought  it  was  their  dear  father,  and  ran  out 
towards  her  full  of  joy.  Then  she  threw  over  each  of 
them  a  shirt,  which,  as  it  touched  their  bodies,  changed 
them  into  swans,  which  flew  away  over  the  forest.  The 
Queen  then  went  home  quite  contented  and  thought  she 
was  free  of  her  stepchildren;  but  the  little  girl  had  not 
met  her  with  the  brothers,  and  the  Queen  did  not  know 
of  her. 

The  following  day  the  King  went  to  visit  his  chil- 
dren, but  he  found  only  the  maiden.  "  Where  are  your 
brothers? "  asked  he.  "  Ah,  dear  father,"  she  replied, 
"they  are  gone  away  and  have  left  me  alone";  and  she 
told  him  how  she  had  looked  out  of  the  window  and  seen 
them  changed  into  swans,  which  had  flown  over  the  forest ; 
and  then  she  showed  him  the  feathers  which  they  had 
dropped  in  the  courtyard,  and  which  she  had  collected 
together.  The  King  was  much  grieved,  but  he  did  not 
think  that  his  wife  could  have  done  this  wicked  deed,  and, 
as  he  feared  the  girl  might  also  be  stolen  away,  he  took 
her  with  him.  She  was,  however,  so  much  afraid  of  the 
stepmother,  that  she  begged  him  not  to  stop  more  than 
one  night  in  the  castle. 

33 


THE  SIX  SWANS 

The  poor  maiden  thought  to  herself,  "  This  is  no  longer 
my  place,  I  will  go  and  seek  my  brothers  " ;  and  when 
night  came  she  escaped  and  went  quite  deep  into  the 
wood.  She  walked  all  night  long  and  great  part  of  the 
next  day,  until  she  could  go  no  further  from  weariness. 
Just  then  she  saw  a  rude  hut,  and  walking  in  she  found  a 
room  with  six  little  beds,  but  she  dared  not  get  into  one, 
but  crept  under,  and,  laying  herself  upon  the  hard  earth, 
prepared  to  pass  the  night  there.  Just  as  the  sun  was  set- 
ting, she  heard  a  rustling,  and  saw  six  white  swans  come 
flying  in  at  the  window.  They  settled  on  the  ground 
and  began  blowing  one  another  until  they  had  blown  all 
their  feathers  off,  and  their  swan's  down  stripped  off  like 
a  shirt.  Then  the  maiden  knew  them  at  once  for  her 
brothers,  and  gladly  crept  out  from  under  the  bed,  and 
the  brothers  were  not  less  glad  to  see  their  sister,  but  their 
joy  was  of  short  duration.  "  Here  you  must  not  stay," 
said  they  to  her;  "this  is  a  robbers'  hiding-place;  if 
they  should  return  and  find  you  here,  they  will  murder 
you."  "  Can  you  not  protect  me,  then? "  inquired  the 
sister. 

"No,"  they  replied;  "for  we  can  only  lay  aside  our 
swan's  feathers  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  each  evening,  and 
for  that  time  we  regain  our  human  form,  but  afterwards 
we  resume  our  changed  appearance." 

Their  sister  then  asked  them  with  tears,  "  Can  you 
not  be  restored  again?  " 

34 


THE  SIX  SWANS 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  they,  "  the  conditions  are  too 
difficult.  For  six  long  years  you  must  neither  speak  nor 
laugh,  and  during  that  time  you  must  sew  together  for  us 
six  little  shirts  of  star-flowers,  and  should  there  fall  a  single 
word  from  your  lips,  then  all  your  labour  will  be  vain." 
Just  as  the  brother  finished  speaking,  the  quarter  of  an 
hour  elapsed,  and  they  all  flew  out  of  the  window  again 
like  swans. 

The  little  sister,  however,  made  a  solemn  resolution 
to  rescue  her  brothers,  or  die  in  the  attempt;  and  she  left 
the  cottage,  and,  penetrating  deep  into  the  forest,  passed 
the  night  amid  the  branches  of  a  tree.  The  next  morning 
she  went  out  and  collected  the  star-flowers  to  sew  to- 
gether. She  had  no  one  to  converse  with,  and  for  laughing 
she  had  no  spirits,  so  there  up  in  the  tree  she  sat,  intent 
upon  her  work.  After  she  had  passed  some  time  there 
it  happened  that  the  King  of  that  country  was  hunting  in 
the  forest,  and  his  huntsmen  came  beneath  the  tree  on 
which  the  maiden  sat.  They  called  to  her  and  asked, 
"  Who  art  thou?  "  But  she  gave  no  answer.  "  Come 
down  to  us,"  continued  they :  "  we  will  do  thee  no  harm." 
She  simply  shook  her  head,  and,  when  they  pressed  her 
further  with  questions,  she  threw  down  to  them  her  gold 
necklace,  hoping  therewith  to  satisfy  them.  They  did  not, 
however,  leave  her,  and  she  threw  down  her  girdle,  but 
in  vain;  and  even  her  rich  dress  did  not  make  them 
desist.  At  last  the  hunter  himself  climbed  the  tree  and 

35 


THE  SIX  SWANS 

brought  down  the  maiden,  and  took  her  before  the  King. 
The  King  asked  her,  "  Who  art  thou?  What  dost  thou 
upon  that  tree?"  But  she  did  not  answer;  and  then  he 
asked  her  in  all  the  languages  that  he  knew,  but  she  re- 
mained dumb  to  all  as  a  fish.  Since,  however,  she  was  so 
beautiful,  the  King's  heart  was  touched,  and  he  conceived 
for  her  a  strong  affection.  Then  he  put  around  her  his 
cloak,  and,  placing  her  before  him  on  his  horse,  took  her 
to  his  castle.  There  he  ordered  rich  clothing  to  be  made 
for  her,  and,  although  her  beauty  shone  as  the  sunbeams, 
not  a  word  escaped  her.  The  King  placed  her  by  his  side 
at  table,  and  there  her  dignified  mien  and  manners  so 
won  upon  him,  that  he  said,  "  This  maiden  will  I  marry, 
and  no  other  in  the  world  " ;  and  after  some  days  he  was 
united  to  her. 

Now,  the  King  had  a  wicked  stepmother,  who  was  dis- 
contented with  his  marriage,  and  spoke  evil  of  the  young 
Queen.  "  Who  knows  whence  the  wench  comes?  "  said 
she.  "  She  who  cannot  speak  is  not  worthy  of  a  King." 
A  year  after,  when  the  Queen  brought  her  first-born  into 
the  world,  the  old  woman  took  him  away.  Then  she 
went  to  the  King  and  complained  that  the  Queen  was  a 
murderess.  The  King,  however,  would  not  believe  it, 
and  suffered  no  one  to  do  any  injury  to  his  wife,  who  sat 
composedly  sewing  at  her  shirts  and  paying  attention  to 
nothing  else.  When  a  second  child  was  born,  the  false 
stepmother  used  the  same  deceit,  but  the  King  again  would 

36 


When  she   had  concluded,  the  King 
•was  overcome  'with  joy. 


SEE  PAGE  40. 


THE  SIX  SWANS 

not  listen  to  her  words,  but  said,  "  She  is  too  pious  and 
good  to  act  so:  could  she  but  speak  and  defend  herself, 
her  innocence  would  come  to  light."  But  when  again, 
the  third  time,  the  old  woman  stole  away  the  child,  and 
then  accused  the  Queen,  who  answered  not  a  word  to 
the  accusation,  the  King  was  obliged  to  give  her  up  to 
be  tried,  and  she  was  condemned  to  suffer  death  by 
fire. 

When  the  time  had  elapsed,  and  the  sentence  was  to 
be  carried  out,  it  happened  that  the  very  day  had  come 
round  when  her  dear  brothers  should  be  made  free;  the 
six  shirts  were  also  ready,  all  but  the  last,  which  yet 
wanted  the  left  sleeve.  As  she  was  led  to  the  scaffold, 
she  placed  the  shirts  upon  her  arm,  and  just  as  she  had 
mounted  it,  and  the  fire  was  about  to  be  kindled,  she 
looked  round,  and  saw  six  swans  come  flying  through 
the  air.  Her  heart  leapt  for  joy  as  she  perceived  her 
deliverers  approaching,  and  soon  the  swans,  flying  to- 
wards her,  alighted  so  near  that  she  was  enabled  to  throw 
over  them  the  shirts,  and  as  soon  as  she  had  so  done  their 
feathers  fell  off  and  the  brothers  stood  up  alive  and  well; 
but  the  youngest  wanted  his  left  arm,  instead  of  which  he 
had  a  swan's  wing.  They  embraced  and  kissed  each  other, 
and  the  Queen,  going  to  the  King,  who  was  thunder- 
struck, began  to  say,  "  Now  may  I  speak,  my  dear  hus- 
band, and  prove  to  you  that  I  am  innocent  and  falsely 
accused";  and  then  she  told  him  how  the  wicked  woman 

39 


THE  SIX  SWANS 

had  stolen  away  and  hidden  her  three  children.  When 
she  had  concluded,  the  King  was  overcome  with  joy,  and 
the  wicked  stepmother  was  led  to  the  scaffold  and  bound 
to  the  stake  and  burnt  to  ashes. 

The  King  and  the  Queen  for  ever  after  lived  in  peace 
and  prosperity  with  their  six  brothers. 


40 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 


HERE  was  once  a  little  brother  who 
took  his  sister  by  the  hand,  and  said, 
"  Since  our  own  dear  mother's  death 
we  have  not  had  one  happy  hour; 
our  stepmother  beats  us  every  day, 
and,  if  we  come  near  her,  kicks  us 
away  with  her  feet.  Our  food  is  the 
hard  crusts  of  bread  which  are  left, 
and  even  the  dog  under  the  table  fares  better  than  we,  for 
he  often  gets  a  nice  morsel.  Come,  let  us  wander  forth 
into  the  wide  world."  So  all  day  long  they  travelled 
over  meadows,  fields,  and  stony  roads,  and  when  it  rained 
the  sister  said,  "  It  is  heaven  crying  in  sympathy."  By 
the  evening  they  came  into  a  large  forest,  and  were  so 
wearied  with  grief,  hunger  and  their  long  walk,  that  they 
laid  themselves  down  in  a  hollow  tree,  and  went  to  sleep. 
When  they  awoke  the  next  morning  the  sun  had  already 
risen  high  in  the  heavens,  and  its  beams  made  the  tree 
so  hot  that  the  little  boy  said  to  his  sister,  "  I  am  so 
thirsty,  if  I  knew  where  there  was  a  brook  I  would  go 
and  drink.  Ah !  I  think  I  hear  one  running  " ;  and  so 
saying,  he  got  up,  and  taking  his  sister's  hand,  they  went 
in  search  of  the  brook. 


43 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 

The  wicked  stepmother,  however,  was  a  witch,  and 
had  witnessed  the  departure  of  the  two  children;  so, 
sneaking  after  them  secretly,  as  is  the  habit  of  witches, 
she  had  enchanted  all  the  springs  in  the  forest. 

Presently  they  found  a  brook,  which  ran  trippingly 
over  the  pebbles,  and  the  brother  would  have  drunk  out 
of  it,  but  the  sister  heard  how  it  said  as  it  ran  along, 
"  Who  drinks  of  me  will  become  a  tiger  1 "  So  the  sister 
exclaimed,  "  I  pray  you,  brother,  drink  not,  or  you  will 
become  a  tiger,  and  tear  me  to  pieces  I "  So  the  brother 
did  not  drink,  although  his  thirst  was  so  great,  and  he 
said,  "  I  will  wait  till  the  next  brook."  As  they  came  to 
the  second,  the  sister  heard  it  say,  "  Who  drinks  of  me 
becomes  a  wolf!"  The  sister  ran  up  crying,  "Brother, 
do  not,  pray  do  not  drink,  or  you  will  become  a  wolf 
and  eat  me  up ! "  Then  the  brother  did  not  drink,  say- 
ing, "  I  will  wait  until  we  come  to  the  next  spring,  but 
then  I  must  drink,  you  may  say  what  you  will;  my  thirst 
is  much  too  great."  Just  as  they  reached  the  third  brook, 
the  sister  heard  the  voice  saying,  "  Who  drinks  of  me 
will  become  a  fawn — who  drinks  of  me  will  become  a 
fawn ! "  So  the  sister  said,  "  Oh,  my  brother !  do  not 
drink,  or  you  will  be  changed  to  a  fawn,  and  run  away 
from  me !  "  But  he  had  already  kneeled  down,  and  drunk 
of  the  water,  and,  as  the  first  drops  passed  his  lips,  his 
shape  became  that  of  a  fawn. 

At  first  the  sister  cried  over  her  little  changed  brother, 

44 


The  maiden  said,  "Be  still,  dear  little 
fawn ,  and  I  will  never  forsake  you" 


SEE  PAGE  47 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 

and  he  wept  too,  and  knelt  by  her  very  sorrowful;  but 
at  last  the  maiden  said,  "  Be  still,  dear  little  fawn,  and  I 
will  never  forsake  you  " ;  and,  undoing  her  golden  garter, 
she  put  it  round  his  neck,  and  weaving  rushes  made  a 
white  girdle  to  lead  him  with.  This  she  tied  to  him, 
and  taking  the  other  end  in  her  hand,  she  led  him  away, 
and  they  travelled  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  forest. 
After  they  had  walked  a  long  distance  they  came  to  a 
little  hut,  and  the  maiden,  peeping  in,  found  it  empty, 
and  thought,  "  Here  we  can  stay  and  dwell."  Then  she 
looked  for  leaves  and  moss  to  make  a  soft  couch  for  the 
fawn,  and  every  morning  she  went  out  and  collected 
roots  and  berries  and  nuts  for  herself,  and  tender  grass 
for  the  fawn,  which  he  ate  out  of  her  hand,  and  played 
happily  around  her.  In  the  evening  when  the  sister  was 
tired,  and  had  said  her  prayers,  she  laid  her  head  upon 
the  back  of  the  fawn,  which  served  for  a  pillow,  on 
which  she  slept  soundly.  Had  but  the  brother  regained 
his  own  proper  form,  their  life  would  have  been  happy 
indeed. 

Thus  they  dwelt  in  this  wilderness,  and  some  time  had 
elapsed  when  it  happened  that  the  King  of  the  country 
held  a  great  hunt  in  the  forest;  and  now  resounded 
through  the  trees  the  blowing  of  horns,  the  barking  of 
dogs,  and  the  lusty  cries  of  the  hunters,  so  that  the  little 
fawn  heard  them,  and  wanted  very  much  to  join.  "  Ah !  " 
said  he  to  his  sister,  "  let  me  go  to  the  hunt,  I  cannot 

47 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 

restrain  myself  any  longer  ";  and  he  begged  so  hard  that 
at  last  she  consented.  "  But,"  said  she  to  him,  "  return 
again  in  the  evening,  for  I  shall  shut  my  door  against 
the  wild  huntsmen,  and,  that  I  may  know  you,  do  you 
knock,  and  say,  '  Sister,  let  me  in,'  and  if  you  do  not 
speak  I  shall  not  open  the  door."  As  soon  as  she  had 
said  this,  the  little  fawn  sprang  off  quite  glad  and  merry 
in  the  fresh  breeze.  The  King  and  his  huntsmen  per- 
ceived the  beautiful  animal,  and  pursued  him;  but  they 
could  not  catch  him,  and  when  they  thought  they  had 
him  for  certain,  he  sprang  away  over  the  bushes  and  got 
out  of  sight.  Just  as  it  was  getting  dark,  he  ran  up  to 
the  hut,  and,  knocking,  said,  "  Sister  mine,  let  me  in." 
Then  she  undid  the  little  door,  and  he  went  in,  and 
rested  all  night  long  upon  his  soft  couch.  The  next 
morning  the  hunt  was  commenced  again,  and  as  soon  as 
the  little  fawn  heard  the  horns  and  the  tally-ho  of  the 
sportsmen  he  could  not  rest,  and  said,  "  Sister,  dear,  open 
the  door,  I  must  be  off."  The  sister  opened  it,  saying, 
"  Return  at  evening,  mind,  and  say  the  words  as  before." 
When  the  King  and  his  huntsmen  saw  again  the  fawn 
with  the  golden  necklace,  they  followed  him  close,  but 
he  was  too  nimble  and  quick  for  them.  The  whole  day 
long  they  kept  up  with  him,  but  towards  evening  the 
huntsmen  made  a  circle  round  him,  and  one  wounded 
him  slightly  in  the  foot  behind,  so  that  he  could  only 
run  slowly.  Then  one  of  them  slipped  after  him  to  the 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 

little  hut,  and  heard  him  say,  "  Sister,  dear,  open  the 
door,"  and  saw  that  the  door  was  opened  and  immediately 
shut  behind.  The  huntsman,  having  observed  all  this, 
went  and  told  the  King  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  and 
he  said,  "  On  the  morrow  I  will  once  more  pursue  him." 

The  sister,  however,  was  terribly  frightened  when 
she  saw  that  her  fawn  was  wounded,  and,  washing  off 
the  blood,  she  put  herbs  upon  the  foot,  and  said,  "  Go 
and  rest  upon  your  bed,  dear  fawn,  that  the  wound  may 
heal."  It  was  so  slight,  that  the  next  morning  he  felt 
nothing  of  it,  and  when  he  heard  the  hunting  cries  out- 
side, he  exclaimed,  "  I  cannot  stop  away — I  must  be 
there,  and  none  shall  catch  me  so  easily  again ! "  The 
sister  wept  very  much,  and  told  him,  "  Soon  they  will 
kill  you,  and  I  shall  be  here  all  alone  in  this  forest,  for- 
saken by  all  the  world:  I  cannot  let  you  go." 

"  I  shall  die  here  in  vexation,"  answered  the  fawn, 
"  if  you  do  not,  for  when  I  hear  the  horn  I  think  I  shall 
jump  out  of  my  skin."  The  sister,  rinding  she  could  not 
prevent  him,  opened  the  door  with  a  heavy  heart,  and 
the  fawn  jumped  out,  quite  delighted,  into  the  forest. 
As  soon  as  the  King  perceived  him,  he  said  to  his  hunts- 
men, "  Follow  him  all  day  long  to  the  evening,  but  let 
no  one  do  him  an  injury."  When  the  sun  had  set,  the 
King  asked  his  huntsmen  to  show  him  the  hut;  and  as 
they  came  to  it,  he  knocked  at  the  door,  and  said,  "  Let 
me  in,  dear  sister."  Then  the  door  was  opened,  and 

49 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 

stepping  in,  the  King  saw  a  maiden  more  beautiful  than 
he  had  ever  before  seen.  She  was  frightened  when  she 
saw  not  her  fawn,  but  a  man  step  in,  who  had  a  golden 
crown  upon  his  head.  But  the  King,  looking  at  her  with 
a  friendly  glance,  reached  her  his  hand,  saying,  "  Will 
you  go  with  me  to  my  castle,  and  be  my  dear  wife?  " 
"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  maiden ;  "  but  the  fawn  must 
go  too:  him  I  will  never  forsake."  The  King  replied, 
"He  shall  remain  with  you  as  long  as  you  live,  and  shall 
want  for  nothing."  In  the  meantime  the  fawn  had  come 
in,  and  the  sister,  binding  the  girdle  to  him,  again  took 
it  in  her  hand,  and  led  him  away  with  her  out  of  the  hut. 
The  King  took  the  beautiful  maiden  upon  his  horse, 
and  rode  to  his  castle,  where  the  wedding  was  celebrated 
with  great  splendour,  and  she  became  Queen,  and  they 
lived  together  a  long  time;  while  the  fawn  was  taken 
care  of  and  lived  well,  playing  about  the  castle  garden. 
The  wicked  stepmother,  however,  on  whose  account  the 
children  had  wandered  forth  into  the  world,  supposed 
that  long  ago  the  sister  had  been  torn  in  pieces  by  the 
wild  beasts,  and  the  little  brother  hunted  to  death  in  his 
fawn's  shape  by  the  hunters.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  she 
heard  how  happy  they  had  become,  and  how  everything 
prospered  with  them,  envy  and  jealousy  were  roused  in 
her  heart,  and  left  her  no  peace;  and  she  was  always 
thinking  in  what  way  she  could  work  misfortune  to  them. 
Her  own  daughter,  who  was  as  ugly  as  night,  and  had 

50 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 

but  one  eye,  for  which  she  was  continually  reproached, 
said,  "  The  luck  of  being  a  Queen  has  never  yet  happened 
to  me."  "  Be  quiet  now,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  and 
make  yourself  contented:  when  the  time  comes,  I  shall 
be  at  hand."  As  soon,  then,  as  the  time  came  when  the 
Queen  brought  into  the  world  a  beautiful  little  boy,  which 
happened  when  the  King  was  out  hunting,  the  old  witch 
took  the  form  of  a  chambermaid,  and  got  into  the  room 
where  the  Queen  was  lying,  and  said  to  her,  "  The  bath  is 
ready,  which  will  restore  you  and  give  you  fresh  strength  ; 
be  quick,  before  it  gets  cold."  Her  daughter  being  at 
hand,  they  carried  the  weak  Queen  between  them  into 
the  room,  and  laid  her  in  the  bath,  and  then,  shutting  the 
door  to,  they  ran  off;  but  first  they  made  up  an  immense 
fire  in  the  stove,  which  must  soon  suffocate  the  young 
Queen. 

When  this  was  done,  the  old  woman  took  her 
daughter,  and,  putting  a  cap  on  her,  laid  her  in  the  bed 
in  the  Queen's  place.  She  gave  her,  too,  the  form  and 
appearance  of  the  real  Queen,  as  far  as  she  could ;  but  she 
could  not  restore  the  lost  eye,  and,  so  that  the  King  might 
not  notice  it,  she  turned  upon  that  side  where  there  was 
no  eye.  When  he  came  home  at  evening,  and  heard  that 
a  son  was  born  to  him,  he  was  much  delighted,  and  pre- 
pared to  go  to  his  wife's  bedside,  to  see  how  she  did.  So 
the  old  woman  called  out  in  a  great  hurry,  "  For  your 
life,  do  not  undraw  the  curtains;  the  Queen  must  not 

51 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 

yet  see  the  light,  and  must  be  kept  quiet."  So  the  King 
went  away,  and  did  not  discover  that  a  false  Queen  was 
laid  in  the  bed. 

When  midnight  came,  and  every  one  was  asleep,  the 
nurse,  who  sat  by  herself  wide  awake,  near  the  cradle,  in 
the  nursery,  saw  the  door  open  and  the  true  Queen  come 
in.  She  took  the  child  in  her  arms,  and  rocked  it  a  while, 
and  then,  shaking  up  its  pillow,  laid  it  down,  in  its  cradle, 
and  covered  it  over  again.  She  did  not  forget  the  fawn 
either,  but,  going  to  the  corner  where  he  was,  stroked 
his  back,  and  then  went  silently  out  of  the  door.  The 
nurse  asked  in  the  morning  of  the  guards  if  any  one  had 
passed  into  the  castle  during  the  night;  but  they  answered, 
"  No,  we  have  seen  nobody."  For  many  nights  after- 
wards she  came  constantly,  and  never  spoke  a  word;  and 
the  nurse  saw  her  always  but  she  would  not  trust  herself 
to  speak  about  it  to  any  one. 

When  some  time  had  passed  away,  the  Queen  one 
night  began  to  speak,  and  said : 

"  How  fares  my  child,  how  fares  my  fawn? 
Twice  more  will  I  come,  but  never  again." 

The  nurse  made  no  reply;  but,  when  she  had  disappeared, 
went  to  the  King,  and  told  him  all.  The  King  exclaimed, 
"  Oh,  heavens !  what  does  this  mean? — the  next  night  I 
will  watch  myself  by  the  child."  In  the  evening  he  went 
into  the  nursery  and  about  midnight  the  Queen  appeared, 
and  said: 

52 


LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  LITTLE  SISTER 

"  How  fares  my  child,  how  fares  my  fawn? 
Once  more  will  I  come,  but  never  again." 

And  she  nursed  the  child,  as  she  was  used  to  do,  and  then 
disappeared.  The  King  dared  not  speak;  but  he  watched 
the  following  night,  and  this  time  she  said: 

"  How  fares  my  child,  how  fares  my  fawn? 
This  time  have  I  come,  but  never  again." 

At  these  words  the  King  could  hold  back  no  longer, 
but  sprang  up  and  said,  "  You  can  be  no  other  than  my 
dear  wife !  "  Then  she  answered,  "  Yes,  I  am  your  dear 
wife  ";  and  at  that  moment  her  life  was  restored  by  God's 
mercy,  and  she  was  again  as  beautiful  and  charming  as 
ever.  She  told  the  King  the  fraud  which  the  witch  and 
her  daughter  had  practised  upon  him,  and  he  had  them 
both  tried  and  sentence  pronounced  against  them.  The 
daughter  was  taken  into  the  forest,  where  the  wild  beasts 
tore  her  in  pieces,  but  the  old  witch  was  led  to  the  fire 
and  miserably  burnt.  As  soon  as  she  was  reduced  to  ashes 
the  little  fawn  was  unbewitched,  and  received  again  his 
human  form;  and  the  brother  and  sister  lived  happily 
together  to  the  end  of  their  days. 


THE  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 


THE  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 


HERE  was  once  a  fisherman  who 
lived  with  his  wife  in  a  ditch,  close 
by  the  seaside.  The  fisherman 
used  to  go  out  all  day  long  a-fish- 
ing;  and  one  day,  as  he  sat  on  the 
shore  with  his  rod,  looking  at  the 
shining  water  and  watching  his  line, 
all  on  a  sudden  his  float  was  dragged 
away  deep  under  the  sea:  and  in  drawing  it  up  he  pulled 
a  great  fish  out  of  the  water.  The  fish  said  to  him,  "  Pray 
let  me  live:  I  am  not  a  real  fish,  I  am  an  enchanted 
Prince ;  put  me  in  the  water  again,  and  let  me  go."  "  Oh !  " 
said  the  man,  "  you  need  not  make  so  many  words  about 
the  matter;  I  wish  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  a  fish  that 
can  talk;  so  swim  away  as  soon  as  you  please."  Then  he 
put  him  back  into  the  water,  and  the  fish  darted  straight 
down  to  the  bottom,  and  left  a  long  streak  of  blood 
behind  him. 

When  the  fisherman  went  home  to  his  wife  in  the 
ditch,  he  told  her  how  he  had  caught  a  great  fish,  and 
how  it  had  told  him  it  was  an  enchanted  Prince,  and  that 
on  hearing  it  speak  he  had  let  it  go  again.  "  Did  you 
not  ask  it  for  anything?  "  said  the  wife.  "  No,"  said  the 


57 


THE  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 

man,  "what  should  I  ask  for?"  "Ah!"  said  the  wife, 
"  we  live  very  wretchedly  here  in  this  nasty  stinking  ditch; 
do  go  back,  and  tell  the  fish  we  want  a  little  cottage." 

The  fisherman  did  not  much  like  the  business:  how- 
ever, he  went  to  the  sea,  and  when  he  came  there  the 
water  looked  all  yellow  and  green.  And  he  stood  at  the 
water's  edge,  and  said: 

"  Oman  of  the  sea! 

Come  listen  to  me, 

For  Alice  my  wife, 

The  plague  of  my  life, 
Hath  sent  me  to  beg  a  boon  of  thee!  " 

Then  the  fish  came  swimming  to  him,  and  said, 
"  Well,  what  does  she  want?  "  "  Ah !  "  answered  the 
fisherman,  "  my  wife  says  that  when  I  had  caught  you, 
I  ought  to  have  asked  you  for  something  before  I  let  you 
go  again ;  she  does  not  like  living  any  longer  in  the  ditch, 
and  wants  a  little  cottage."  "  Go  home,  then,"  said  the 
fish,  "  she  is  in  the  cottage  already."  So  the  man  went 
home,  and  saw  his  wife  standing  at  the  door  of  a  cottage. 
"  Come  in,  come  in,"  said  she;  "is  not  this  much  better 
than  the  ditch?  "  And  there  was  a  parlour,  and  a  bed- 
chamber, and  a  kitchen;  and  behind  the  cottage  there 
was  a  little  garden  with  all  sorts  of  flowers  and  fruits,  and 
a  courtyard  full  of  ducks  and  chickens.  "  Ah  I "  said  the 
fisherman,  "how  happily  we  shall  live!"  "We  will  try 
to  do  so,  at  least,"  said  his  wife. 

58 


THE  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 

Everything  went  right  for  a  week  or  two,  and  then 
Dame  Alice  said,  "  Husband,  there  is  not  room  enough 
in  this  cottage,  the  courtyard  and  garden  are  a  great  deal 
too  small;  I  should  like  to  have  a  large  stone  castle  to 
live  in;  so  go  to  the  fish  again,  and  tell  him  to  give  us 
a  castle."  "  Wife,"  said  the  fisherman,  "  I  don't  like 
to  go  to  him  again,  for  perhaps  he  will  be  angry;  we 
ought  to  be  content  with  the  cottage."  "  Nonsense !  " 
said  the  wife;  "he  will  do  it  very  willingly;  go  along, 
and  try." 

The  fisherman  went;  but  his  heart  was  very  heavy: 
and  when  he  came  to  the  sea,  it  looked  blue  and  gloomy, 
though  it  was  quite  calm.  And  he  went  close  to  it,  and 

said: 

"  Oman  of  the  sea! 

Come  listen  to  me, 

For  Alice  my  wife, 

The  plague  of  my  life, 
Hath  sent  me  to  beg  a  boon  of  theel  " 

"  Well,  what  does  she  want  now? "  said  the  fish. 
"  Ah !  "  said  the  man  very  sorrowfully,  "  my  wife  wants 
to  live  in  a  stone  castle."  "  Go  home,  then,"  said  the  fish, 
"  she  is  standing  at  the  door  of  it  already."  So  away  went 
the  fisherman,  and  found  his  wife  standing  before  a  great 
castle.  "  See,"  said  she,  "is  not  this  grand?  "  With  that 
they  went  into  the  castle  together,  and  found  a  great  many 
servants  there,  and  the  rooms  all  richly  furnished  and  full 
of  golden  chairs  and  tables;  and  behind  the  castle  was  a 

59 


THE  FISHERMAN.  AND  HIS  WIFE 

garden,  and  a  wood  half  a  mile  long,  full  of  sheep,  and 
goats,  and  hares,  and  deer;  and  in  the  courtyard  were 
stables  and  cow-houses.  "  Well,"  said  the  man,  "  now  will 
we  live  contented  and  happy  in  this  beautiful  castle  for 
the  rest  of  our  lives."  "  Perhaps  we  may,"  said  the  wife; 
"  but  let  us  consider  and  sleep  upon  it  before  we  make 
up  our  minds":  so  they  went  to  bed. 

The  next  morning,  when  Dame  Alice  awoke,  it  was 
broad  daylight,  and  she  jogged  the  fisherman  with  her 
elbow,  and  said,  "  Get  up,  husband,  and  bestir  yourself, 
for  we  must  be  king  of  all  the  land."  "  Wife,  wife,"  said 
the  man,  "  why  should  we  wish  to  be  king?  I  will  not  be 
king."  "Then  I  will,"  said  Alice.  "But,  wife," 
answered  the  fisherman,  "  how  can  you  be  king?  the  fish 
cannot  make  you  a  king."  "  Husband,"  said  she,  "  say 
no  more  about  it,  but  go  and  try;  I  will  be  king!"  So 
the  man  went  away,  quite  sorrowful  to  think  that  his  wife 
should  want  to  be  king.  The  sea  looked  a  dark  grey 
colour,  and  was  covered  with  foam  as  he  cried  out: 

"  Oman  of  the  sea! 

Come  listen  to  me, 

For  Alice  my  wife, 

The  plague  of  my  life, 
Hath  sent  me  to  beg  a  boon  of  thee!  " 

"  Well,  what  would  she  have  now? "  said  the  fish. 
"  Alas ! "  said  the  man,  "  my  wife  wants  to  be  king." 
"  Go  home,"  said  the  fish ;  "  she  is  king  already." 

60 


THE  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 

Then  the  fisherman  went  home;  and  as  he  came  close 
to  the  palace,  he  saw  a  troop  of  soldiers,  and  heard  the 
sound  of  drums  and  trumpets;  and  when  he  entered  in, 
he  saw  his  wife  sitting  on  a  high  throne  of  gold  and 
diamonds,  with  a  golden  crown  upon  her  head;  and  on 
each  side  of  her  stood  six  beautiful  maidens,  each  a  head 
taller  than  the  other.  "  Well,  wife,"  said  the  fisherman, 
"  are  you  king?  "  "  Yes,"  said  she,  "  I  am  king."  And 
when  he  had  looked  at  her  for  a  long  time,  he  said, 
"Ah,  wife!  what  a  fine  thing  it  is  to  be  king  I  now 
we  shall  never  have  anything  more  to  wish  for."  "  I 
don't  know  how  that  may  be,"  said  she;  "never  is  a  long 
time.  I  am  king,  'tis  true,  but  I  begin  to  be  tired  of  it, 
and  I  think  I  should  like  to  be  emperor."  "  Alas,  wife ! 
why  should  you  wish  to  be  emperor?"  said  the  fisherman. 
"  Husband,"  said  she,  "  go  to  the  fish ;  I  say  I  will  be 
emperor."  "  Ah,  wife !  "  replied  the  fisherman,  "  the 
fish  cannot  make  an  emperor,  and  I  should  not  like  to 
ask  for  such  a  thing."  "  I  am  king,"  said  Alice,  "  and 
you  are  my  slave,  so  go  directly  1 "  So  the  fisherman 
was  obliged  to  go;  and  he  muttered  as  he  went  along, 
"This  will  come  to  no  good,  it  is  too  much  to  ask;  the 
fish  will  be  tired  at  last,  and  then  we  shall  repent  of 
what  we  have  done."  He  soon  arrived  at  the  sea,  and 
the  water  was  quite  black  and  muddy,  and  a  mighty 
whirlwind  blew  over  it;  but  he  went  to  the  shore,  and 
said: 

61 


THE  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 

"  Oman  of  the  seal  » 

Come  listen  to  me, 

For  Alice  my  wife, 

The  plague  of  my  life, 
Hath  sent  me  to  beg  a  boon  of  thee !  " 

"  What  would  she  have  now?  "  said  the  fish.  "  Ah!  " 
said  the  fisherman,  "  she  wants  to  be  emperor."  "  Go 
home,"  said  the  fish;  "  she  is  emperor  already." 

So  he  went  home  again;  and  as  he  came  near  he  saw 
his  wife  sitting  on  a  very  lofty  throne  made  of  solid  gold, 
with  a  great  crown  on  her  head  full  two  yards  high,  and 
on  each  side  of  her  stood  her  guards  and  attendants  in 
a  row,  each  one  smaller  than  the  other,  from  the  tallest 
giant  down  to  a  little  dwarf  no  bigger  than  my  finger. 
And  before  her  stood  princes,  and  dukes,  and  earls:  and 
the  fisherman  went  up  to  her  and  said,  "  Wife,  are  you 
emperor?  "  "  Yes,"  said  she,  "  I  am  emperor."  "  Ah!  " 
said  the  man  as  he  gazed  upon  her,  "  what  a  fine  thing 
it  is  to  be  emperor !  "  "  Husband,"  said  she,  "  why  should 
we  stay  at  being  emperor ;  I  will  be  pope  next."  "  O 
wife,  wife !  "  said  he,  "  how  can  you  be  pope?  there  is 
but  one  pope  at  a  time  in  Christendom."  "  Husband," 
said  she,  "  I  will  be  pope  this  very  day."  "  But,"  replied 
the  husband,  "  the  fish  cannot  make  you  pope."  "  What 
nonsense !  "  said  she,  "  if  he  can  make  an  emperor,  he  can 
make  a  pope;  go  and  try  him."  So  the  fisherman  went. 
But  when  he  came  to  the  shore  the  wind  was  raging,  and 
the  sea  was  tossed  up  and  down  like  boiling  water,  and 

62 


Then  the  fisherman  went  home  and 
found  his  wife  sitting  upon  a  throne, 
and  she  had  three  great  crowns  upon 
her  head. 


SEE  PAGE  65. 


THE  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 

the  ships  were  in  the  greatest  distress  and  danced  upon 
the  waves  most  fearfully;  in  the  middle  of  the  sky  there 
was  a  little  blue,  but  towards  the  south  it  was  all  red  as 
if  a  dreadful  storm  was  rising.  At  this  the  fisherman 
was  terribly  frightened,  and  trembled,  so  that  his  knees 
knocked  together:  but  he  went  to  the  shore  and  said: 

"  O  man  of  the  sea! 

Come  listen  to  me, 

For  Alice  my  wife, 

The  plague  of  my  life, 
Hath  sent  me  to  beg  a  boon  of  theel  " 

"  What  does  she  want  now?  "  said  the  fish.  "  Ah ! " 
said  the  fisherman,  "  my  wife  wants  to  be  pope."  "  Go 
home,"  said  the  fish,  "  she  is  pope  already." 

Then  the  fisherman  went  home,  and  found  his  wife 
sitting  on  a  throne  that  was  two  miles  high;  and  she  had 
three  great  crowns  on  her  head,  and  around  stood  all  the 
pomp  and  power  of  the  Church;  and  on  each  side  were 
two  rows  of  burning  lights,  of  all  sizes,  the  greatest  as 
large  as  the  highest  and  biggest  tower  in  the  world,  and 
the  least  no  larger  than  a  small  rushlight.  '  Wife,"  said 
the  fisherman  as  he  looked  at  all  this  grandeur,  "  are  you 
pope?  "  "  Yes,"  said  she,  "  I  am  pope."  "  Well,  wife," 
replied  he,  "  it  is  a  grand  thing  to  be  pope;  and  now  you 
must  be  content,  for  you  can  be  nothing  greater."  '  I 
will  consider  of  that,"  said  the  wife.  Then  they  went  to 
bed:  but  Dame  Alice  could  not  sleep  all  night  for  think- 

65 


THE  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 

ing  what  she  should  be  next.  At  last  morning  came,  and 
the  sun  rose.  "  Ha ! "  thought  she  as  she  looked  at  it 
through  the  window,  "  cannot  I  prevent  the  sun  rising?  " 
At  this  she  was  very  angry,  and  she  wakened  her  husband, 
and  said,  "  Husband,  go  to  the  fish  and  tell  him  I  want 
to  be  lord  of  the  sun  and  moon."  The  fisherman  was 
half  asleep,  but  the  thought  frightened  him  so  much,  that 
he  started  and  fell  out  of  bed.  "  Alas,  wife ! "  said  he, 
"  cannot  you  be  content  to  be  pope?  "  "  No,"  said  she, 
"  I  am  very  uneasy,  and  cannot  bear  to  see  the  sun  and 
moon  rise  without  my  leave.  Go  to  the  fish  directly." 

Then  the  man  went  trembling  for  fear;  and  as  he 
was  going  down  to  the  shore  a  dreadful  storm  arose,  so 
that  the  trees  and  the  rocks  shook;  and  the  heavens 
became  black,  and  the  lightning  played,  and  the  thunder 
rolled;  and  you  might  have  seen  in  the  sea  great  black 
waves  like  mountains  with  a  white  crown  of  foam  upon 
them;  and  the  fisherman  said: 

"  O  man  of  the  sea! 

Come  listen  to  me, 

For  Alice  my  wife, 

The  plague  of  my  life, 
Hath  sent  me  to  beg  a  boon  of  thee!  " 

"  What  does  she  want  now?  "  said  the  fish.  "  Ah !  " 
said  he,  "  she  wants  to  be  lord  of  the  sun  and  moon." 
"  Go  home,"  said  the  fish,  "  to  your  ditch  again !  "  And 
there  they  live  to  this  very  day. 

66 


THE  DRUMMER 


THE  DRUMMER 


NE  evening  a  young  Drummer  was 
walking  by  himself  in  the  fields. 
He  came  to  a  lake,  where  he  found 
on  the  bank  three  little  bits  of 
white  linen.  "  This  is  very  fine 
linen,"  he  said,  and  put  a  bit  in  his 
pocket.  He  then  went  home,  and 
without  thinking  any  more  about 
his  find,  lay  down  in  bed. 

Just  as  he  was  composing  himself  to  sleep  he  fancied 
some  one  called  his  name.  He  listened,  and  then  a  low 
voice  fell  distinctly  on  his  ear. 

"  Drummer,  drummer,  wake  up !  "  it  said. 
The  night  was  so  dark  that  he  could  see  no  one,  but 
he  felt  as  if  a  figure  were  floating  up  and  down  at  the 
bottom  of  his  bed.     "  What  do  you  want?  "  he  asked. 

"  Give  me  back  my  garment  that  you  took  away  last 
night  from  the  shore." 

"  You  shall  have  it,"  answered  the  Drummer,  "  if  you 
tell  me  who  you  are." 

"Ah!"  said  the  voice,  "I  am  the  daughter  of  a 
mighty  King,  but  I  am  in  the  power  of  a  witch,  and  I 
am  banished  to  the  glass  mountain.  Every  day  I  have 


69 


THE  DRUMMER 

to  bathe  in  the  lake  with  my  two  sisters,  but  without  my 
garment  I  can't  fly  away  again.  My  sisters  have  flown 
off  long  ago,  but  I  am  obliged  to  stay  behind.  I  implore 
you  to  give  it  back  to  me." 

"  Be  calm,  child,"  said  the  Drummer.  "I  will  give 
it  to  you,  of  course." 

He  went  and  took  the  linen  out  of  his  pocket  and 
handed  it  to  her.  She  seized  it  eagerly,  and  turned 
to  go. 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  said  he,  "  perhaps  I  can  help  you." 

"  You  can  only  help  me,"  she  replied,  "  by  mount- 
ing the  glass  mountain  and  delivering  me  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  witch.  But  you  couldn't  possibly  do  it; 
even  if  you  were  quite  close  to  the  mountain  you  couldn't 
climb  it." 

"  Where  there  is  a  will,  there's  a  way,"  said  the 
Drummer.  "  I  pity  you,  and  fear  nothing.  But  I  don't 
know  the  way  to  the  glass  mountain." 

"  The  path  lies  through  a  forest  inhabited  by  can- 
nibals; that  is  all  I  may  tell  you,"  she  answered.  And 
then  he  heard  her  flit  away. 

At  daybreak  the  Drummer  got  up,  slung  on  his  drum, 
and  went  fearlessly  into  the  cannibal  forest.  After  he 
had  gone  a  little  distance  he  looked  round,  but  saw  no 
giants.  He  thought,  "  I  must  wake  up  the  sluggards," 
and  he  beat  a  tattoo  on  his  drum  which  frightened  the 
birds. 

70 


THE  DRUMMER 

In  a  few  minutes  a  giant  who  had  been  lying  in  the 
grass  reared  his  huge  form,  and  stood  there  as  tall  as  a 
pine-tree.  "  You  rascal !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  what  do  you 
mean  by  beating  your  drum  and  waking  me  out  of  my 
beauty  sleep?  " 

"  I  am  beating  the  drum,"  he  answered,  "  because  a 
thousand  men  are  coming  behind  who  want  to  know 
the  way." 

"  What  are  they  doing  in  my  forest?  "  asked  the  giant. 

"  They  intend,  for  one  thing,  to  kill  you,  and  cleanse 
the  forest  from  all  such  monsters." 

"  Oh,  indeed,"  said  the  giant.  "  I'll  trample  them 
dead  like  so  many  ants." 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  catch  them? "  said  the 
Drummer,  with  a  sneer.  "  If  you  stooped  to  pick  up 
one  he  would  be  off  like  a  shot  and  hide  himself,  and  if 
you  lay  down  to  sleep  hundreds  would  creep  out  of  the 
bushes  and  climb  on  your  body;  and  as  they  are  all 
armed  with  steel  hammers  they  would  make  short  work 
of  beating  in  your  skull." 

The  giant  grew  sad,  and  thought :  "  It  is  difficult  to 
know  how  to  deal  with  these  small,  cunning  folk.  With 
wolves  and  bears  I  am  at  home,  but  I  am  at  a  loss  what 
to  do  with  earth-worms." 

"  Look  here,"  he  said  aloud,  "  if  you,  little  fellow, 
will  go  away  now,  I  promise  I  will  never  molest  you  and 
your  comrades  in  future,  and  if  you  have  any  particular 


THE  DRUMMER 

wish  that  I  can  fulfil,  tell  me,  and  I  will  see  what  I  can 
do  for  you." 

"  You  have  long  legs,"  said  the  Drummer,  "  and  can 
run  faster  than  I.  Carry  me  to  the  glass  mountain,  and 
I  will  signal  to  my  men  to  retreat  and  leave  you  in  peace." 

"  Come  here  then,  little  worm,"  said  the  giant,  "  seat 
yourself  on  my  shoulder,  and  I  will  carry  you  wherever 
you  want  to  go." 

The  giant  lifted  him,  and  the  Drummer  began  to 
play  his  drum  from  sheer  joy.  The  giant  thought  this 
was  the  signal  for  the  others  to  withdraw. 

After  a  time  a  second  giant  stood  in  the  path,  who 
took  the  Drummer  away  from  the  first  giant  and  put 
him  in  his  button-hole.  The  Drummer  held  on  to  the 
button,  which  was  as  big  as  a  dish,  and  still  felt  in  quite 
good  spirits. 

Then  they  came  to  a  third  giant,  who  took  the 
Drummer  out  of  the  other's  button-hole,  and  put  him 
on  the  brim  of  his  hat.  The  Drummer  walked  up  and 
down,  and  could  see  away  over  the  tree-tops.  Catching 
sight  of  a  mountain  in  the  blue  distance,  he  thought  to 
himself,  "  That  is  the  glass  mountain  for  certain,"  and 
it  was.  The  giant  had  only  to  take  a  few  strides  to  get 
to  the  foot  of  it. 

When  the  giant  put  him  down,  the  Drummer  desired 
him  to  carry  him  to  the  top,  but  the  giant  muttered 
something  in  his  beard,  and  went  back  to  the  forest. 

72 


The  Drummer  began  to  play  his  drum 
from  sheer  joy. 


SEE  PAGE  72. 


THE  DRUMMER 

There  stood  the  poor  Drummer  in  front  of  the  mountain 
that  was  so  high;  it  was  like  three  ordinary  mountains, 
one  on  top  of  the  other,  and  as  transparent  and  smooth, 
besides,  as  a  mirror.  He  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He 
tried  to  climb,  but  in  vain,  for  he  always  tumbled  back. 

As  he  stood  there,  not  knowing  how  he  should  act, 
he  caught  sight  of  two  men  fighting.  He  went  up  to 
them,  and  saw  that  the  bone  of  contention  was  a  saddle 
lying  on  the  ground. 

"  What  fools  you  are,'*  he  said,  "  to  quarrel  about  a 
saddle  when  you  have  no  horse  to  put  it  on." 

"  The  saddle  is  worth  quarrelling  about,"  replied  one 
of  the  men.  "  If  any  one  sits  on  it,  and  wishes  himself 
somewhere,  even  at  the  end  of  the  world,  he'll  be  there 
in  a  jiffy.  The  saddle  is  our  joint  property.  It  is  my 
turn  to  ride  on  it,  but  he  will  not  let  me." 

"  I  will  settle  the  dispute,"  said  the  Drummer.  He 
went  a  few  paces  off  and  stuck  a  white  pole  into  the 
ground.  Then  he  came  back,  and  said,  "  Now  then, 
run  to  the  pole,  and  who  reaches  it  first  will  have  first 
right  to  the  saddle." 

Both  started,  but  they  had  not  run  many  steps  before 
the  Drummer  swung  himself  into  the  saddle  and  wished 
himself  at  the  top  of  the  glass  mountain.  In  a  twinkling 
he  was  there. 

An  old  stone  house  stood  on  the  very  top,  in  front 
of  which  was  a  large  fishpond,  and  beneath  it  a  dense, 

75 


THE  DRUMMER 

dark  wood.  He  did  not  see  a  sign  of  man  or  beast. 
All  was  silent  except  for  the  rustling  of  the  trees.  The 
clouds  seemed  very  close  over  his  head. 

He  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  house,  but  not  till 
he  had  knocked  three  times  did  an  old  woman  with  a 
brown  face  and  pink  eyes  open  it.  She  had  spectacles 
on  her  long  nose,  and  scanned  him  sharply.  Then  she 
asked  what  his  business  was,  and  he  asked  for  board 
and  lodging.  '  You  shall  have  it,"  replied  the  old  lady, 
"  if  you  work  for  it.  I  will  set  you  three  tasks." 

"  Why    not? "    said    the    Drummer.      "  I    don't    shirk 
work,  and  I  don't  care  how  hard  it  is." 

The  old  woman  then  admitted  him,  giving  him  a 
good  supper  and  a  comfortable  bed. 

In  the  morning  she  took  a  thimble  from  her  shrivelled 
finger,  and,  handing  it  to  the  Drummer,  said:  "Take 
this  thimble  and  with  it  bale  out  the  water  in  the  pond 
till  there  isn't  a  drop  left.  The  work  must  be  completed 
by  night,  and  all  the  fish  arranged  according  to  their 
kind  and  size  on  the  bank." 

"  A  curious  task,"  thought  the  Drummer.  He  went 
to  the  pond  and  began  to  bale.  He  worked  hard  the 
whole  morning,  but  what  was  the  good  of  trying  to 
empty  a  great  sheet  of  water  with  a  thimble?  It  would 
take  a  thousand  years  at  least.  At  dinner-time  he  gave 
it  up  as  a  bad  job,  saying  to  himself,  "  It  is  all  the  same 
whether  I  work  or  not." 

76 


THE  DRUMMER 

Then  a  maiden  came  out  of  the  house  and  placed  a 
basket  of  food  before  him.  "  How  sad  you  seem!  "  she 
said.  "  Is  anything  the  matter?  " 

He  looked  at  her  and  saw  she  was  very  beautiful. 
"Alas!"  he  exclaimed,  "I  cannot  perform  the  first  task 
she  has  given  me.  How  shall  I  ever  be  able  to  perform 
the  other  two?  I  came  here  to  seek  a  Princess,  but  I 
have  not  seen  her  yet." 

"Wait  here,"  said  the  girl;  "I  will  help  you.  You 
are  tired;  lay  your  head  in  my  lap  and  sleep,  and  when 
you  wake  the  thing  will  be  done." 

The  Drummer  was  only  too  charmed  to  obey. 

Directly  his  eyes  closed  the  girl  twisted  a  wishing- 
ring,  and  exclaimed,  "  Water,  come  up.  Fish,  come  out." 

The  water  immediately  rose  like  a  white  mist  and 
mingled  with  the  other  clouds,  and  the  fish  jumped  on 
to  the  bank  and  arranged  themselves  in  order  of  size 
and  colour. 

When  the  Drummer  awoke  he  saw  with  amazement 
what  had  happened. 

The  girl  said,  "  One  of  the  fish  is  not  lying  by  his 
fellows,  but  is  quite  alone.  If  the  old  woman  comes 
this  evening  to  see  if  all  has  been  done  as  she  ordered, 
she  will  at  once  say,  '  What  is  this  fish  doing  here?  ' 
Then  throw  the  fish  in  her  face,  and  say,  '  It  is  for  you, 
old  witch.' " 

At  evening,  when   the  old  woman   came   and  asked 

77 


THE  DRUMMER 

the  question,  he  threw  the  fish  in  her  face.  She  stood 
as  if  she  did  not  notice  the  insult  and  said  nothing,  but 
her  eyes  blinked  wickedly. 

The  next  morning  she  remarked,  "  Yesterday  you 
had  too  easy  a  time;  I  must  give  you  harder  work. 
To-day  you  must  cut  down  the  whole  wood,  cut  up 
the  timber,  arrange  it  into  faggots,  and  everything  must 
be  ready  by  the  evening."  She  gave  him  an  axe,  a 
hatchet,  and  two  saws,  but  they  were  all  made  of  lead. 

He  did  not  know  what  to  do,  but  the  maiden  arrived 
at  dinner-time  with  his  food,  and  said,  "  Lay  your  head 
in  my  lap,  go  to  sleep,  and  when  you  wake  the  work 
will  be  finished." 

She  twisted  her  wish-ring  on  her  finger,  and  the 
whole  wood  collapsed  with  one  fearful  crackle,  as  if 
invisible  giants  had  been  felling  it. 

He  awoke,  and  the  girl  said,  "  Look!  the  timber  is 
all  severed  and  arranged  in  faggots.  Only  one  branch 
lies  apart;  when  the  old  woman  comes  to-night,  take  it 
and  give  her  a  blow  with  it,  and  say,  '  That's  for  you, 
old  witch.' ' 

The  old  woman  came.  "  You  see,"  she  said,  "  how 
very  easy  is  the  work  I  give  you.  But  what  is  that  branch 
doing  there?  " 

He  took  it  up  and  gave  her  a  bang  with  it,  saying, 
"  That's  for  you,  old  witch."  But  she  appeared  not  to 
feel  it,  and  only  laughed  mockingly. 

78 


THE  DRUMMER 

"  To-morrow,"  she  said,  "  you  shall  collect  all  the 
faggots,  pile  them  up,  and  set  fire  to  them." 

He  rose  at  dawn  and  began  to  collect  the  wood,  but 
how  was  it  possible  for  a  single  man  to  gather  a  whole 
forest?  He  made  no  progress.  Well  for  him  that  the 
girl  did  not  leave  him  in  the  lurch  I  She  brought  his 
dinner,  and  when  he  had  eaten  it  he  put  his  head  in  her 
lap  and  went  to  sleep.  On  waking,  the  whole  vast 
mass  of  timber  was  alight,  the  flames  reaching  to  the 
sky. 

"  Listen,"  said  the  girl,  "  when  the  witch  comes  she 
will  impose  on  you  again.  Do  what  she  asks  you  with- 
out fear,  so  that  you  give  her  no  cause  for  complaint. 
If  you  are  the  least  bit  afraid,  she  will  seize  you  and 
pitch  you  into  the  furnace.  When  you  have  done  as 
she  bids  you,  you  can  end  by  catching  hold  of  her  and 
throwing  her  on  the  flames." 

The  girl  departed,  and  the  old  witch  came.  "  Fire ! 
I  am  freezing!"  she  exclaimed,  "but  that  nice  fire  will 
warm  my  old  bones.  But  look,  there's  a  log  that  won't 
burn;  fetch  it  out.  If  you  can  do  that,  you  are  free  to 
wander  where  you  please,  so  jump  in  gaily." 

The  Drummer  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  and  sprang 
into  the  flames;  they  did  not  even  singe  his  hair.  He 
dragged  out  the  log  and  laid  it  down.  Hardly  had  it 
touched  the  earth  than  it  changed  into  the  charming 
girl  who  had  helped  him  out  of  his  difficulties,  and  by 

79 


THE  DRUMMER 

the  golden  draperies  she  now  wore  he  knew  she  was  the 
Princess. 

The  old  woman  laughed.  "  You  think,"  she  jeered, 
"  that  you've  got  her,  but  I  tell  you,  you  haven't  yet." 

She  was  in  the  act  of  rushing  at  the  girl  to  take  her 
away,  when  the  Drummer  seized  the  old  woman  with 
both  hands  and  flung  her  into  the  fire. 

The  Princess  then  looked  critically  at  the  Drummer, 
and  having  duly  considered  that  he  was  certainly  a  hand- 
some youth  who  had  risked  his  life  for  her  sake,  she  held 
out  her  hand,  and  said,  "  You  have  dared  everything  for 
me.  Promise  to  be  my  true  love,  and  I  will  marry  you." 

She  led  him  into  the  house  and  showed  him  great 
chests  and  cupboards,  filled  with  the  treasures  the  witch 
had  accumulated.  They  left  all  the  gold  and  silver  and 
only  took  the  precious  stones. 

As  they  did  not  wish  to  linger  on  the  glass  mountain 
any  longer,  she  said  to  him,  "  I  have  only  to  turn  my 
wishing-ring  and  we  shall  be  at  home." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Drummer,  "  wish  us  in  front 
of  the  city  gates." 

In  a  second  they  were  there,  and  the  Drummer  said, 
"  First  I  will  go  to  my  parents  and  tell  them  the  news. 
Wait  for  me  here  in  this  field  and  I  will  soon  be  back." 

"  Ah ! "  cried  the  Princess,  "  I  implore  you  to  be 
careful.  On  no  account  kiss  your  parents  on  the  right 
cheek,  else  you  will  forget  everything." 

80 


THE  DRUMMER 

"  How  could  I  possibly  forget  you?  "  he  said,  and  gave 
her  his  right  hand  and  promised  that  he  would  soon  return. 

When  he  entered  his  old  home  no  one  knew  him, 
he  was  so  altered,  for  the  three  days  he  had  spent  on  the 
glass  mountain  had  really  been  three  years. 

Then  he  revealed  who  he  was,  and  his  parents  in 
their  delight  fell  on  his  neck,  and  he  was  so  touched  that 
he  kissed  them  on  both  cheeks,  forgetting  the  maiden's 
injunction.  Directly  he  had  kissed  the  right  cheeks  of 
his  parents  all  thought  of  the  Princess  left  him.  He 
emptied  his  pockets,  and  laid  handfuls  of  pearls  and 
diamonds  on  the  table.  The  parents  did  not  know  what 
to  do  with  all  this  wealth. 

At  last  the  father  built  a  superb  castle,  surrounded 
by  gardens,  fields  and  woods,  fit  for  a  prince  to  live  in. 
And  when  it  was  ready  the  mother  said  to  the  Drummer, 
"  I  have  chosen  a  bride  for  you,  and  we  will  fix  the  wedding 
for  this  day  week."  The  son  expressed  himself  content. 

The  poor  Princess  meanwhile  had  waited  a  long  time 
in  the  field  before  the  city  gates.  When  evening  came, 
and  he  did  not  return,  she  felt  convinced  that  he  had 
kissed  his  parents  on  the  right  cheek  and  forgotten  all 
about  her.  Her  heart  was  heavy,  and  she  wished  herself 
in  a  lonely  forest  house  and  not  at  her  father's  court. 
Every  evening  she  walked  into  the  town  and  passed  the 
Drummer's  house;  many  times  the  youth  saw  her  with- 
out knowing  her  again.  At  last  she  heard  people  saying, 

81 


THE  DRUMMER 

"  To-morrow  he  is  to  be  married."  And  she  thought, 
"  I  will  make  an  effort  to  win  him  back." 

On  the  first  day  of  the  wedding  festivities  she  twirled 
her  ring,  and  said,  "  I  want  a  dress  that  shines  like  the 
sun."  At  once  the  garment  lay  before  her,  and  looked 
as  if  it  had  been  woven  out  of  sunbeams. 

When  the  guests  were  assembled  she  entered  the 
hall.  Every  one  was  struck  by  the  beauty  of  her  dress, 
especially  the  bride  herself,  who  had  a  passion  for  fine 
clothes.  She  went  up  to  the  stranger  and  asked  if  she 
would  sell  her  gown. 

"  Not  for  money,"  was  the  answer,  "  but  if  I  may 
linger  all  night  beside  the  door  of  the  room  in  which 
the  bridegroom  is  going  to  sleep,  I  will  give  you  the  dress 
with  pleasure." 

The  bride  could  not  resist  the  offer,  and  consented 
to  the  arrangement,  but  first  she  mixed  the  bridegroom 
a  sleeping-draught  with  his  wine,  which  sent  him  into 
a  deep  slumber. 

When  the  house  was  quiet  the  Princess  crouched 
before  the  door  of  the  sleeping  apartment,  opened  it  a 
little,  and  called: 

"  Drummer,  drummer,  listen  to  me. 
Have  you  forgotten  me  quite? 
Did  you  not  sit  beside  me  on  the  mountain  height? 
Did  I  not  save  you  from  the  witch's  wiles? 
And  you  plighted  your  troth  with  smiles? 
Drummer,  drummer,  listen  to  me." 

82 


THE  DRUMMER 

But  it  was  no  use;  the  Drummer  did  not  wake,  and 
when  morning  dawned  the  Princess  was  obliged  to  own 
herself  unsuccessful  and  go  away. 

The  second  evening  she  turned  her  ring,  and  said, 
"  I  want  a  dress  as  silver  as  the  moon." 

When  she  appeared  in  draperies  as  soft  and  filmy  as 
moonbeams,  she  again  excited  the  envy  of  the  bride,  who 
accepted  the  dress  as  a  present  and  granted  the  wearer 
permission  to  spend  another  night  outside  the  bride- 
groom's door. 

In  the  stillness  of  the  night  she  called  again  to  the 
Drummer,  but  as  he  was  stupefied  by  the  sleeping-draught 
he  did  not  waken,  and  in  the  morning  the  Princess  went 
sorrowfully  back  to  her  forest  house. 

But  some  of  the  servants  in  the  house  had  heard  the 
strange  girl's  sad  lament  and  told  the  bridegroom  about 
it;  they  told  him  that  he  must  have  heard  it  if  he  had 
not  been  drugged  with  the  sleeping-draught  that  had  been 
mixed  with  his  night-cap. 

The  third  evening  the  Princess  turned  her  ring,  and 
said,  "  I  want  a  dress  that  flashes  like  the  stars." 

When  she  appeared  at  the  ball  the  bride  was  in 
ecstasies  over  the  new  dress,  and  said,  "  I  must  and  will 
have  it,"  and  the  owner  consented  to  give  it  to  her  on 
the  same  condition. 

This  time  the  bridegroom  did  not  drink  the 
wine  on  retiring  to  rest,  but  poured  it  under  the  bed. 

83 


THE  DRUMMER 

When  all   the   house   was   still   he    heard    a    soft    voice 
saying : 

"  Drummer,  drummer,  listen  to  me. 
Have  you  forgotten  me  quite?  " 

Suddenly  his  memory  returned.  "  Ah,"  he  cried, 
"  how  faithless  and  cruel  I  have  been  I  But  the  kiss 
which  in  the  joy  of  my  heart  I  pressed  on  my  parents' 
right  cheek  is  really  to  blame."  He  jumped  up,  took 
the  Princess  by  the  hand,  and  led  her  to  his  parents' 
bedside.  "  Here  is  my  true  bride,"  he  said;  "  if  I  marry 
the  other  I  shall  do  her  a  great  wrong." 

The  wedding  festivities  began  over  again,  and  the 
first  bride  was  allowed  to  keep  the  three  lovely  dresses 
as  compensation,  and  expressed  herself  satisfied. 


84 


ROSEBUD 


ROSEBUD 


NCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a 
King  and  Queen  who  had  no  chil- 
dren; and  this  they  lamented  very 
much.  But  one  day  as  the  Queen 
was  walking  by  the  side  of  the  river, 
a  little  fish  lifted  its  head  out  of  the 
water,  and  said,  "  Your  wish  shall 
be  fulfilled,  and  you  shall  soon  have 
a  daughter."  What  the  little  fish  had  foretold  soon  came 
to  pass;  and  the  Queen  had  a  little  girl  that  was  so  very 
beautiful  that  the  King  could  not  cease  looking  on  her  for 
joy,  and  determined  to  hold  a  great  feast.  So  he  invited 
not  only  his  relations,  'friends,  and  neighbours,  but  also 
all  the  fairies,  that  they  might  be  kind  and  good  to  his 
little  daughter.  Now  there  were  thirteen  fairies  in  his 
kingdom,  and  he  had  only  twelve  golden  dishes  for  them 
to  eat  out  of,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave  one  of  the 
fairies  without  an  invitation.  The  rest  came,  and  after  the 
feast  was  over  they  gave  all  their  best  gifts  to  the  little 
Princess:  one  gave  her  virtue,  another  beauty,  another 
riches,  and  so  on  till  she  had  all  that  was  excellent  in 
the  world.  When  eleven  had  done  blessing  her,  the 
thirteenth,  who  had  not  been  invited,  and  was  very  angry 

87 


ROSEBUD 

on  that  account,  came  in,  and  determined  to  take  her 
revenge.  So  she  cried  out,  "  The  King's  daughter  shall 
in  her  fifteenth  year  be  wounded  by  a  spindle,  and  fall 
down  dead."  Then  the  twelfth,  who  had  not  yet  given  her 
gift,  came  forward  and  said,  that  the  bad  wish  must 
be  fulfilled,  but  that  she  could  soften  it,  and  that  the 
King's  daughter  should  not  die,  but  fall  asleep  for  a 
hundred  years. 

But  the  King  hoped  to  save  his  dear  child  from  the 
threatened  evil,  and  ordered  that  all  the  spindles  in  the 
kingdom  should  be  bought  up  and  destroyed.  All  the 
fairies'  gifts  were  in  the  meantime  fulfilled;  for  the  Prin- 
cess was  so  beautiful,  and  well-behaved,  and  amiable,  and 
wise,  that  every  one  who  knew  her  loved  her.  Now  it 
happened  that  on  the  very  day  she  was  fifteen  years  old  the 
King  and  Queen  were  not  at  home,  and  she  was  left  alone 
in  the  palace.  So  she  roved  about  by  herself,  and  looked 
at  all  the  rooms  and  chambers,  till  at  last  she  came  to  an 
old  tower,  to  which  there  was  a  narrow  staircase  ending 
with  a  little  door.  In  the  door  there  was  a  golden  key, 
and  when  she  turned  it  the  door  sprang  open,  and  there 
sat  an  old  lady  spinning  away  very  busily.  "  Why,  how 
now,  good  mother,"  said  the  Princess,  "  what  are  you 
doing  there? "  "  Spinning,"  said  the  old  lady,  and 
nodded  her  head.  "  How  prettily  that  little  thing  turns 
round ! "  said  the  Princess,  and  took  the  spindle  and 
began  to  spin.  But  scarcely  had  she  touched  it,  before 


Rosebud  looked  so  beautiful  he  stooped 
down  and  gave  her  a  kiss. 


SEE  PAGE  92. 


ROSEBUD 

the  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  and  she  fell  down  lifeless  on 
the  ground. 

However,  she  was  not  dead,  but  had  only  fallen  into  a 
deep  sleep;  and  the  King  and  the  Queen,  who  just  then 
came  home,  and  all  their  court,  fell  asleep  too;  and  the 
horses  slept  in  the  stables,  and  the  dogs  in  the  court, 
the  pigeons  on  the  house-top  and  the  flies  on  the  walls. 
Even  the  fire  on  the  hearth  left  off  blazing,  and  went  to 
sleep ;  and  the  meat  that  was  roasting  stood  still ;  and  the 
cook,  who  was  at  that  moment  pulling  the  kitchen-boy 
by  the  hair  to  give  him  a  box  on  the  ear  for  something  he 
had  done  amiss,  let  him  go,  and  both  fell  asleep;  and  so 
everything  stood  still,  and  slept  soundly. 

A  large  hedge  of  thorns  soon  grew  round  the  palace, 
and  every  year  it  became  higher  and  thicker,  till  at  last 
the  whole  palace  was  surrounded  and  hid,  so  that  not 
even  the  roof  or  the  chimneys  could  be  seen.  But  there 
went  a  report  through  all  the  land  of  the  beautiful  sleep- 
ing Rosebud  (for  so  was  the  King's  daughter  called); 
so  that  from  time  to  time  several  kings'  sons  came,  and 
tried  to  break  through  the  thicket  into  the  palace.  This 
they  could  never  do;  for  the  thorns  and  bushes  laid  hold 
of  them  as  it  were  with  hands,  and  there  they  stuck  fast 
and  died  miserably. 

After  many  many  years  there  came  a  king's  son  into 
that  land,  and  an  old  man  told  him  the  story  of  the 
thicket  of  thorns,  and  how  a  beautiful  palace  stood 


ROSEBUD 

behind  it,  in  which  was  a  wondrous  Princess,  called  Rose- 
bud, asleep  with  all  her  court.  He  told  too,  how  he 
had  heard  from  his  grandfather  that  many  many  princes 
had  come,  and  had  tried  to  break  through  the  thicket, 
but  had  stuck  fast  and  died.  Then  the  young  Prince 
said,  "  All  this  shall  not  frighten  me,  I  will  go  and  see 
Rosebud."  The  old  man  tried  to  dissuade  him,  but  he 
persisted  in  going. 

Now  that  very  day  were  the  hundred  years  com- 
pleted; and  as  the  Prince  came  to  the  thicket,  he  saw 
nothing  but  beautiful  flowering  shrubs,  through  which 
he  passed  with  ease,  and  they  closed  after  him  as  firm  as 
ever.  Then  he  came  at  last  to  the  palace,  and  there  in 
the  court  lay  the  dogs  asleep,  and  the  horses  in  the  stables, 
and  on  the  roof  sat  the  pigeons  fast  asleep  with  their 
heads  under  their  wings;  and  when  he  came  into  the 
palace,  the  flies  slept  on  the  walls,  and  the  cook  in  the 
kitchen  was  still  holding  up  her  hand  as  if  she  would 
beat  the  boy,  and  the  maid  sat  with  a  black  fowl  in  her 
hand  ready  to  be  plucked. 

Then  he  went  on  still  further,  and  all  was  so  still 
that  he  could  hear  every  breath  he  drew;  till  at  last  he 
came  to  the  old  tower  and  opened  the  door  of  the  little 
room  in  which  Rosebud  was,  and  there  she  lay  fast  asleep, 
and  looked  so  beautiful  that  he  could  not  take  his  eyes 
off  her,  and  he  stooped  down  and  gave  her  a  kiss.  But  the 
moment  he  kissed  her  she  opened  her  eyes  and  awoke, 

92 


ROSEBUD 

and  smiled  upon  him.  Then  they  went  out  together, 
and  presently  the  King  and  Queen  also  awoke,  and  all  the 
court,  and  they  gazed  on  each  other  with  great  wonder. 
And  the  horses  got  up  and  shook  themselves,  and  the 
dogs  jumped  about  and  barked;  the  pigeons  took  their 
heads  from  under  their  wings,  and  looked  about  and  flew 
into  the  fields;  the  flies  on  the  walls  buzzed  away;  the 
fire  in  the  kitchen  blazed  up  and  cooked  the  dinner,  and 
the  roast  meat  turned  round  again;  the  cook  gave  the 
boy  the  box  on  his  ear  so  that  he  cried  out,  and  the  maid 
went  on  plucking  the  fowl.  And  then  was  the  wedding 
of  the  Prince  and  Rosebud  celebrated,  and  they  lived 
happily  together  all  their  lives  long. 


93 


THE  SPINDLE,   THE  SHUTTLE,  AND   THE   NEEDLE 


THE  SPINDLE,   THE  SHUTTLE,  AND   THE   NEEDLE 


YOUNG  girl  had  lost  her  parents 
when  she  was  very  young.  She  had 
a  godmother,  who  lived  all  alone  in 
a  little  cottage  at  the  end  of  the 
village,  and  lived  on  what  she  earned 
by  her  needle,  her  spindle,  and  her 
shuttle.  This  good  woman  had 
taken  the  orphan  home,  and  had 
taught  her  to  work,  and  brought  her  up  in  piety  and  the 
fear  of  God. 

When  the  young  girl  was  fifteen  years  old  her  god- 
mother fell  sick.  She  called  the  child  to  her  bedside  and 
said,  "  Dear  child,  I  feel  that  my  end  is  near.  I  leave 
you  my  cottage,  it  will  protect  you  against  wind  and 
rain.  I  also  give  you  my  spindle,  my  shuttle,  and  my 
needle,  which  will  enable  you  to  earn  your  living." 

Then  placing  her  hand  upon  the  girl's  head  she  blessed 
her,  and  said,  "  Keep  your  heart  pure  and  honest,  and 
happiness  will  come  to  you."  Then  her  eyes  closed;  the 
poor  girl  went  weeping  beside  her  godmother's  coffin  to 
the  graveside. 

After  this  she  lived  all  alone,  working  bravely  at 
weaving,  spinning,  and  sewing;  and  the  blessing  of  the 

97 


THE  SPINDLE,   THE  SHUTTLE,  AND   THE   NEEDLE 

good  old  woman  kept  her  from  harm.  One  would  have 
thought  that  her  stock  of  flax  would  never  run  out,  and 
as  soon  as  she  had  woven  a  piece  of  stuff,  or  made  a  shirt, 
a  purchaser  was  sure  to  come  and  pay  well  for  it;  so  that 
not  only  was  she  free  from  want,  but  had  even  something 
to  give  to  the  poor. 

About  this  time  the  King's  son  came  roaming  through 
the  country  in  search  of  a  wife.  He  could  not  choose  a 
poor  one,  and  he  did  not  like  a  rich  one.  So  he  said  he 
would  choose  the  girl  who  was  at  the  same  time  the 
poorest  and  the  richest.  On  coming  to  the  village  where 
our  young  girl  lived,  he  asked,  according  to  his  wont,  to 
be  shown  the  poorest  and  the  richest  girl  in  the  place. 
The  richest  was  quickly  found;  as  for  the  poorest,  they 
told  him  it  must  be  the  young  girl  who  lived  in  the  lonely 
cottage  at  the  end  of  the  hamlet. 

When  the  Prince  passed  by  the  rich  girl  was  sitting 
dressed  in  her  best  in  front  of  her  door ;  she  rose  and  went 
towards  him  with  a  profound  curtsy.  But  he  looked  at 
her,  and  without  a  word  passed  on.  He  then  came  to 
the  cottage  of  the  poor  girl;  she  was  not  at  the  door,  but 
shut  up  in  her  room.  He  stopped  and  looked  through 
the  window  into  the  room,  which  a  ray  of  the  sun  lighted 
up.  She  was  sitting  at  her  spinning-wheel,  working  in- 
dustriously. On  her  part  she  secretly  observed  the  Prince 
looking  at  her;  but  she  blushed  scarlet,  and  continued 
spinning  with  her  eyes  cast  down;  only  I  won't  warrant 

98 


'What  do  I  see?"  cried  the  Prince. 
"This  spindle  wants  to  conduct  me 
somewhere." 


SEE  PAGE  101. 


THE  SPINDLE,   THE  SHUTTLE,  AND    THE  NEEDLE 

that  her  thread  was  quite  even.  She  went  on  spinning 
until  the  Prince  was  gone.  So  soon  as  she  had  lost  sight 
of  him,  she  ran  to  open  the  window,  saying,  "  It's  so  hot 
here !  "  and  she  followed  him  with  her  eyes  as  long  as  she 
could  perceive  the  plume  on  his  hat. 

At  last  she  sat  down  again  and  resumed  her  spinning. 
But  a  rhyme  she  had  often  heard  her  old  godmother  sing 
came  into  her  mind,  and  she  sang : 

"  Run  without  stopping,  spindle  dear; 
See  that  thou  bring  my  true  love  herel " 

And  what  happened?  The  spindle  sprang  suddenly 
from  her  hands  and  rushed  out  at  the  door.  She  followed 
it  with  her  eyes,  quite  stupefied  with  wonder.  It  ran 
and  danced  across  the  fields,  leaving  a  thread  of  gold 
behind  it.  In  a  little  while  it  had  gone  too  far  for  her 
to  see.  Having  no  spindle,  she  took  her  shuttle,  and 
began  to  weave. 

The  spindle  ran  on  and  on,  and  by  the  time  its  thread 
was  all  unwound  it  had  overtaken  the  Prince.  "  What 
do  I  see? "  he  cried.  "  This  spindle  wants  to  conduct 
me  somewhere."  Turning  his  horse,  he  galloped  back, 
guided  by  the  golden  thread.  The  young  girl  continued 
working,  singing  the  while : 

"  Run  out  to  meet  him,  shuttle  dear; 
See  thou  guide  my  bridegroom  here." 

Then  the  shuttle  sprang  from  her  hands  and  hopped 
out  at  the  door.  But,  arrived  on  the  threshold,  it  began 

lor 


THE  SPINDLE,   THE  SHUTTLE,  AND   THE  NEEDLE 

to  weave  the  most  splendid  carpet  ever  seen.  On  each 
side  were  garlands  of  roses  and  lilies,  and  in  the  centre 
green  vines  grew  out  of  a  golden  ground.  Hares  and 
rabbits  were  represented  jumping  in  the  leaves,  and  stags 
and  squirrels  looked  out  from  among  them.  On  the 
branches  were  perched  birds  of  a  thousand  hues,  who  only 
wanted  voice  to  make  them  perfect.  The  shuttle  went  on 
running,  and  the  carpet-weaving  advanced  marvellously. 
As  she  had  lost  her  shuttle,  the  young  girl  took  her 
needle,  and  began  singing: 

"  He's  coming,  he's  coming,  my  needle  dear; 
See  thou  that  all  things  are  ready  here." 

The  needle  jumped  from  her  fingers  and  began  run- 
ning round  the  room  as  quick  as  lightning.  It  was  as  if 
little  invisible  spirits  had  taken  up  the  matter;  the  tables 
and  benches  covered  themselves  with  green  tapestry,  the 
chairs  were  dressed  in  velvet,  and  silken  hangings  appeared 
on  the  walls. 

Scarcely  had  the  needle  pierced  its  last  stitch  when 
the  girl  saw  the  white  plume  of  the  Prince's  hat  pass  the 
window.  He  had  been  brought  back  by  the  golden  thread. 
He  entered  the  room,  stepping  over  the  carpet,  and  there 
he  saw  the  young  girl  still  dressed  in  her  poor  clothes, 
but  shining  among  all  this  sudden  splendour  like  a  wild 
rose  on  a  bush. 

"  Thou  art  at  once  the  poorest  and  the  richest,"  he 
cried.  "  Come,  thou  shalt  be  my  wife." 


1 02 


THE  SPINDLE,   THE  SHUTTLE,  AND   THE   NEEDLE 

She  held  out  her  hand  to  him  without  replying.  He 
gave  her  a  kiss,  lifted  her  on  his  horse,  and  carried  her 
off  to  the  court,  where  their  wedding  was  celebrated  with 
great  rejoicings. 

As  for  the  spindle,  the  shuttle,  and  the  needle,  they 
were  carefully  preserved  in  the  royal  treasury. 


103 


SNOWDROP 


SNOWDROP 


T  was  in  the  middle  of  winter,  when 
the  broad  flakes  of  snow  were  fall- 
ing around,  that  a  certain  Queen 
sat  working  at  a  window,  the  frame 
of  which  was  made  of  fine  black 
ebony;  and  as  she  was  looking  out 
upon  the  snow,  she  pricked  her 
finger,  and  three  drops  of  blood  fell 
upon  it.  Then  she  gazed  thoughtfully  upon  the  red 
drops  which  sprinkled  the  white  snow,  and  said,  "  Would 
that  my  little  daughter  may  be  as  white  as  that  snow, 
as  red  as  the  blood,  and  as  black  as  the  ebony  window- 
frame  ! "  And  so  the  little  girl  grew  up :  her  skin  was 
as  white  as  snow,  her  cheeks  as  rosy  as  the  blood,  and  her 
hair  as  black  as  ebony;  and  she  was  called  Snowdrop. 

But  this  Queen  died;  and  the  King  soon  married 
another  wife,  who  was  very  beautiful,  but  so  proud  that 
she  could  not  bear  to  think  that  any  one  could  surpass 
her.  She  had  a  magical  looking-glass,  to  which  she  used 
to  go  and  gaze  upon  herself  in  it,  and  say : 

"  Tell  me,  glass,  tell  me  true! 

Of  all  the  ladies  in  the  land, 
Who  is  the  fairest?  tell  me  who?  " 


107 


SNOWDROP 

And  the  glass  answered: 

"  Thou,  Queen,  art  fairest  in  the  land." 

But  Snowdrop  grew  more  and  more  beautiful;  and 
when  she  was  seven  years  old  she  was  as  bright  as  the 
day,  and  fairer  than  the  Queen  herself.  Then  the  glass 
one  day  answered  the  Queen,  when  she  went  to  consult 
it  as  usual: 

"  Thou,  Queen,  may'st  fair  and  beauteous  be, 
But  Snowdrop  is  lovelier  far  than  theel  " 

When  she  heard  this,  she  turned  pale  with  rage  and  envy; 
and  called  to  one  of  her  servants  and  said,  "  Take  Snow- 
drop away  into  the  wide  wood,  that  I  may  never  see  her 
more."  Then  the  servant  led  her  away;  but  his  heart 
melted  when  she  begged  him  to  spare  her  life,  and  he 
said,  "  I  will  not  hurt  thee,  thou  pretty  child."  So  he 
left  her  by  herself;  and  though  he  thought  it  most  likely 
that  the  wild  beasts  would  tear  her  in  pieces,  he  felt  as  if 
a  great  weight  were  taken  off  his  heart  when  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  not  to  kill  her,  but  leave  her  to  her  fate. 

Then  poor  Snowdrop  wandered  along  through  the 
wood  in  great  fear;  and  the  wild  beasts  roared  about 
her,  but  none  did  her  any  harm.  In  the  evening  she 
came  to  a  little  cottage,  and  went  in  there  to  rest  her- 
self, for  her  little  feet  would  carry  her  no  further.  Every- 
thing was  spruce  and  neat  in  the  cottage:  on  the  table 
was  spread  a  white  cloth,  and  there  were  seven  little  plates 

108 


SNOWDROP 

with  seven  little  loaves,  and  seven  little  glasses  with  wine 
in  them;  and  knives  and  forks  laid  in  order;  and  by 
the  wall  stood  seven  little  beds.  Then,  as  she  was  very 
hungry,  she  picked  a  little  piece  off  each  loaf,  and  drank 
a  very  little  wine  out  of  each  glass;  and  after  that  she 
thought  she  would  lie  down  and  rest.  So  she  tried  all 
the  little  beds;  and  one  was  too  long,  and  another  was 
too  short,  till  at  last  the  seventh  suited  her;  and  there 
she  laid  herself  down,  and  went  to  sleep. 

Presently  in  came  the  masters  of  the  cottage,  who 
were  seven  little  dwarfs  that  lived  among  the  mountains, 
and  dug  and  searched  about  for  gold.  They  lighted  up 
their  seven  lamps,  and  saw  directly  that  all  was  not  right. 
The  first  said,  "  Who  has  been  sitting  on  my  stool? " 
The  second,  "  Who  has  been  eating  off  my  plate? " 
The  third,  "  Who  has  been  picking  my  bread? "  The 
fourth,  "  Who  has  been  meddling  with  my  spoon? " 
The  fifth,  "Who  has  been  handling  my  fork?"  The 
sixth,  "  Who  has  been  cutting  with  my  knife? "  The 
seventh,  "  Who  has  been  drinking  my  wine? "  Then 
the  first  looked  round  and  said,  "  Who  has  been  lying 
on  my  bed?  "  And  the  rest  came  running  to  him,  and 
every  one  cried  out  that  somebody  had  been  upon  his 
bed.  But  the  seventh  saw  Snowdrop,  and  called  all  his 
brethren  to  come  and  see  her;  and  they  cried  out  with 
wonder  and  astonishment,  and  brought  their  lamps  to 
look  at  her,  and  said,  "  Good  heavens !  what  a  lovely 

109 


SNOWDROP 

child  she  is !  "  And  they  were  delighted  to  see  her,  and 
took  care  not  to  wake  her;  and  the  seventh  dwarf  slept 
an  hour  with  each  of  the  other  dwarfs  in  turn,  till  the 
night  was  gone. 

In  the  morning  Snowdrop  told  them  all  her  story; 
and  they  pitied  her,  and  said  if  she  would  keep  all  things 
in  order,  and  cook  and  wash,  and  knit  and  spin  for  them, 
she  might  stay  where  she  was,  and  they  would  take  good 
care  of  her.  Then  they  went  out  all  day  long  to  their 
work,  seeking  for  gold  and  silver  in  the  mountains;  and 
Snowdrop  remained  at  home:  and  they  warned  her, 
and  said,  "  The  Queen  will  soon  find  out  where  you  are, 
so  take  care  and  let  no  one  in." 

But  the  Queen,  now  that  she  thought  Snowdrop  was 
dead,  believed  that  she  was  certainly  the  handsomest 
lady  in  the  land;  and  she  went  to  her  glass  and  said: 

"Tell  me,  glass,  tell  me  true! 

Of  all  the  ladies  in  the  land, 
Who  is  the  fairest?  tell  me  who?  " 

And  the  glass  answered: 

"  Thou,  Queen,  art  the  fairest  in  all  this  land ; 
But  over  the  hills,  in  the  greenwood  shade, 
Where  the  seven  dwarfs  their  dwelling  have  made, 
There  Snowdrop  is  hiding  her  head,  and  she 
Is  lovelier  far,  O  Queen  1  than  thee." 

Then  the  Queen  was  very  much  alarmed ;  for  she  knew 
that  the  glass  always  spoke  the  truth,  and  was  sure  that  the 
servant  had  betrayed  her.  And  she  could  not  bear  to  think 

'1 10 


SNOWDROP 

that  any  one  lived  who  was  more  beautiful  than  she  was ;  so 
she  disguised  herself  as  an  old  pedlar,  and  went  her  way 
over  the  hills  to  the  place  where  the  dwarfs  dwelt.  Then 
she  knocked  at  the  door,  and  cried,  "  Fine  wares  to  sell  1 " 
Snowdrop  looked  out  at  the  window,  and  said,  "  Good- 
day,  good  woman;  what  have  you  to  sell?"  "Good 
wares,  fine  wares,"  said  she;  "laces  and  bobbins  of  all 
colours."  "I  will  let  the  old  lady  in;  she  seems  to  be 
a  very  good  sort  of  body,"  thought  Snowdrop;  so  she 
ran  down,  and  unbolted  the  door.  "  Bless  me! "  said  the 
old  woman,  "how  badly  your  stays  are  laced!  Let  me 
lace  them  up  with  one  of  my  nice  new  laces."  Snow- 
drop did  not  dream  of  any  mischief;  so  she  stood  up 
before  the  old  woman;  but  she  set  to  work  so  nimbly,  and 
pulled  the  lace  so  tight,  that  Snowdrop  lost  her  breath, 
and  fell  down  as  if  she  were  dead.  "  There's  an  end  of  all 
thy  beauty,"  said  the  spiteful  Queen,  and  went  away  home. 

In  the  evening  the  seven  dwarfs  returned,  and  I  need 
not  say  how  grieved  they  were  to  see  their  faithful  Snow- 
drop stretched  upon  the  ground  motionless,  as  if  she  were 
quite  dead.  However,  they  lifted  her  up,  and  when  they 
found  what  was  the  matter,  they  cut  the  lace;  and  in  a 
little  time  she  began  to  breathe,  and  soon  came  to  life 
again.  Then  they  said,  "  The  old  woman  was  the  Queen 
herself;  take  care  another  time,  and  let  no  one  in  when 
we  are  away." 

When  the  Queen  got  home,  she  went  straight  to  her 

in 


SNOWDROP 

glass,  and  spoke  to  it  as  usual;  but  to  her  great  surprise 
it  still  said: 

"  Thou,  Queen,  art  the  fairest  in  all  this  land ; 
But  over  the  hills,  in  the  greenwood  shade, 
Where  the  seven  dwarfs  their  dwelling  have  made, 
There  Snowdrop  is  hiding  her  head,  and  she 
Is  lovelier  far,  O  Queen  1  than  thee." 

Then  the  blood  ran  cold  in  her  heart  with  spite  and 
malice  to  see  that  Snowdrop  still  lived;  and  she  dressed 
herself  up  again  in  a  disguise,  but  very  different  from  the 
one  she  wore  before,  and  took  with  her  a  poisoned  comb. 
When  she  reached  the  dwarfs'  cottage,  she  knocked  at 
the  door,  and  cried,  "  Fine  wares  to  sell  I "  But  Snow- 
drop said,  "  I  dare  not  let  any  one  in."  Then  the  Queen 
said,  "  Only  look  at  my  beautiful  combs";  and  gave  her 
the  poisoned  one.  And  it  looked  so  pretty  that  she  took 
it  up  and  put  it  into  her  hair  to  try  it;  but  the  moment 
it  touched  her  head  the  poison  was  so  powerful  that  she 
fell  down  senseless.  "  There  you  may  lie,"  said  the 
Queen,  and  went  her  way.  But  by  good  luck  the  dwarfs 
returned  very  early  that  evening;  and  when  they  saw 
Snowdrop  lying  on  the  ground,  they  thought  what  had 
happened,  and  soon  found  the  poisoned  comb.  And 
when  they  took  it  away,  she  recovered,  and  told  them 
all  that  had  passed;  and  they  warned  her  once  more  not 
to  open  the  door  to  any  one. 

Meantime  the  Queen  went  home  to  her  glass,  and 
trembled  with  rage  when  she  received  exactly  the  same 

112 


SNOWDROP 

answer  as  before;  and  she  said,  "  Snowdrop  shall  die, 
if  it  costs  me  my  life."  So  she  went  secretly  into  a 
chamber,  and  prepared  a  poisoned  apple:  the  outside 
looked  very  rosy  and  tempting,  but  whoever  tasted  it 
was  sure  to  die.  Then  she  dressed  herself  up  as  a  peasant's 
wife,  and  travelled  over  the  hills  to  the  dwarfs'  cottage, 
and  knocked  at  the  door;  but  Snowdrop  put  her  head 
out  of  the  window  and  said,  "  I  dare  not  let  any  one  in, 
for  the  dwarfs  have  told  me  not  to."  "  Do  as  you  please," 
said  the  old  woman,  "  but  at  any  rate  take  this  pretty 
apple;  I  will  make  you  a  present  of  it."  "No,"  said 
Snowdrop,  "  I  dare  not  take  it."  "  You  silly  girl ! " 
answered  the  other,  "  what  are  you  afraid  of?  do  you 
think  it  is  poisoned?  Come!  do  you  eat  one  part,  and 
I  will  eat  the  other."  Now  the  apple  was  so  prepared 
that  one  side  was  good,  though  the  other  side  was  poisoned. 
Then  Snowdrop  was  very  much  tempted  to  taste,  for 
the  apple  looked  exceedingly  nice;  and  when  she  saw 
the  old  woman  eat,  she  could  refrain  no  longer.  But  she 
had  scarcely  put  the  piece  into  her  mouth,  when  she  fell 
down  dead  upon  the  ground.  "This  time  nothing  will 
save  thee,"  said  the  Queen;  and  she  went  home  to  her 
glass,  and  at  last  it  said : 

"  Thou,  Queen,  art  the  fairest  of  all  the  fair." 

And  then  her  envious  heart  was  glad,  and  as  happy  as 
such  a  heart  could  be. 

"3 


SNOWDROP 

When  evening  came,  and  the  dwarfs  returned  home, 
they  found  Snowdrop  lying  on  the  ground:  no  breath 
passed  her  lips,  and  they  were  afraid  that  she  was  quite 
dead.  They  lifted  her  up,  and  combed  her  hair,  and 
washed  her  face  with  wine  and  water;  but  all  was  in  vain, 
for  the  little  girl  seemed  quite  dead.  So  they  laid  her 
down  upon  a  bier,  and  all  seven  watched  and  bewailed 
her  three  whole  days;  and  then  they  proposed  to  bury 
her:  but  her  cheeks  were  still  rosy,  and  her  face  looked 
just  as  it  did  while  she  was  alive ;  so  they  said,  "  We  will 
never  bury  her  in  the  cold  ground."  And  they  made  a 
coffin  of  glass,  so  that  they  might  still  look  at  her,  and 
wrote  her  name  upon  it,  in  golden  letters,  and  that  she 
was  a  king's  daughter.  And  the  coffin  was  placed  upon 
the  hill,  and  one  of  the  dwarfs  always  sat  by  it  and  watched. 
And  the  birds  of  the  air  came,  too,  and  bemoaned  Snow- 
drop: first  of  all  came  an  owl,  and  then  a  raven,  but  at 
last  came  a  dove. 

And  thus  Snowdrop  lay  for  a  long  long  time,  and 
still  only  looked  as  though  she  were  asleep;  for  she  was 
even  now  as  white  as  snow,  and  as  red  as  blood,  and  as 
black  as  ebony.  At  last  a  Prince  came  and  called  at  the 
dwarfs'  house;  and  he  saw  Snowdrop,  and  read  what 
was  written  in  golden  letters.  Then  he  offered  the 
dwarfs  money,  and  earnestly  prayed  them  to  let  him  take 
her  away ;  but  they  said,  "  We  will  not  part  with  her  for 
all  the  gold  in  the  world."  At  last,  however,  they  had  pity 

114 


They  wrote  her  name  upon  it,  in 
golden  letters,  and  that  she  was  a 
king's  daughter. 


SEE  PAGE  114. 


SNOWDROP 

on  him,  and  gave  him  the  coffin:  but  the  moment  he 
lifted  it  up  to  carry  it  home  with  him,  the  piece  of  apple 
fell  from  between  her  lips,  and  Snowdrop  awoke,  and 
said,  "  Where  am  I?  "  And  the  Prince  answered,  "  Thou 
art  safe  with  me."  Then  he  told  her  all  that  had  hap- 
pened, and  said,  "  I  love  you  better  than  all  the  world: 
come  with  me  to  my  father's  palace,  and  you  shall  be  my 
wife."  And  Snowdrop  consented,  and  went  home  with 
the  Prince;  and  everything  was  prepared  with  great  pomp 
and  splendour  for  their  wedding. 

To  the  feast  was  invited,  among  the  rest,  Snowdrop's 
old  enemy  the  Queen;  and  as  she  was  dressing  herself  in 
fine  rich  clothes,  she  looked  in  the  glass,  and  said: 

"  Tell  me,  glass,  tell  me  true ! 

Of  all  the  ladies  in  the  land, 
Who  is  the  fairest?  tell  me  who?  " 

And  the  glass  answered : 

"  Thou,  lady,  art  loveliest  here,  I  ween ; 
But  lovelier  far  is  the  new-made  Queen." 

When  she  heard  this  she  started  with  rage;  but  her 
envy  and  curiosity  were  so  great,  that  she  could  not  help 
setting  out  to  see  the  bride.  And  when  she  arrived  and 
saw  that  it  was  no  other  than  Snowdrop,  who,  as  she 
thought,  had  been  dead  a  long  while,  she  choked  with 
passion,  and  fell  ill  and  died;  but  Snowdrop  and  the 
Prince  lived  and  reigned  happily  over  that  land  many 
many  years. 

117 


JORINDE  AND  JORINGEL 


JORINDE  AND  JORINGEL 


NCE  upon  a  time,  in  a  castle  in  the 
midst  of  a  large  thick  wood,  there 
lived  an  old  witch  all  by  herself. 
By  day  she  changed  herself  into  a 
cat  or  an  owl;  but  in  the  evening 
she  resumed  her  right  form.  She 
was  able  also  to  allure  to  her  the 
wild  animals  and  birds,  whom  she 
killed,  cooked,  and  ate,  for  whoever  ventured  within  a 
hundred  steps  of  her  castle  was  obliged  to  stand  still, 
and  could  not  stir  from  the  spot  until  she  allowed  it; 
but  if  a  pretty  maiden  came  into  the  circle  the  witch 
changed  her  into  a  bird,  and  then  put  her  into  a  basket, 
which  she  carried  into  one  of  the  rooms  in  the  castle ;  and 
in  this  room  were  already  many  thousand  such  baskets 
of  rare  birds. 

Now  there  was  a  young  maiden  called  Jorinde,  who 
was  exceedingly  pretty,  and  she  was  betrothed  to  a  youth 
named  Joringel,  and  just  at  the  time  that  the  events 
which  I  am  about  to  relate  happened,  they  were  passing 
the  days  together  in  a  round  of  pleasure.  One  day  they 
went  into  the  forest  for  a  walk,  and  Joringel  said,  "  Take 
care  that  you  do  not  go  too  near  the  castle."  It  was  a 


121 


JORINDE  AND  JORINGEL 

beautiful  evening,  the  sun  shining  between  the  stems  of 
the  trees,  and  brightening  up  the  dark  green  leaves,  and 
the  turtle-doves  cooing  softly  upon  the  may-bushes. 
Jorinde  began  to  cry,  and  sat  down  in  the  sunshine  with 
Joringel,  who  cried  too,  for  they  were  quite  frightened, 
and  thought  they  should  die,  when  they  looked  round 
and  saw  how  far  they  had  wandered,  and  that  there  was 
no  house  in  sight.  The  sun  was  yet  half  above  the  hills 
and  half  below,  and  Joringel,  looking  through  the  brush- 
wood, saw  the  old  walls  of  the  castle  close  by  them, 
which  frightened  him  terribly,  so  that  he  fell  off  his  seat. 
Then  Jorinde  sang: 

"  My  little  bird,  with  his  ring  so  red, 
Sings  sorrow,  and  sorrow  and  woe; 
For  he  sings  that  the  turtle-dove  soon  will  be  dead, 
Oh,  sorrow,  and  sorrow — jug,  jug,  jug." 

Joringel  lifted  up  his  head,  and  saw  Jorinde  was  changed 
into  a  nightingale,  which  was  singing,  "  Jug,  jug,  jug," 
and  presently  an  owl  flew  round  thrice,  with  his  eyes 
glistening,  and  crying,  "  Tu  wit,  tu  woo."  Joringel 
could  not  stir;  there  he  stood  like  a  stone,  and  could 
not  weep,  nor  speak,  nor  move  hand  or  foot.  Mean- 
while the  sun  set,  and,  the  owl  flying  into  a  bush,  out 
came  an  ugly  old  woman,  thin  and  yellow,  with  great 
red  eyes,  and  a  crooked  nose  which  reached  down  to  her 
chin.  She  muttered  and  seized  the  nightingale,  and 
carried  it  away  in  her  hand,  while  Joringel  remained 

122 


At  once  Jorinde  stood  before  him  as 
beautiful  as  ever. 


SEE  PAGE  126. 


JORINDE  AND  JORINGEL 

there  incapable  of  moving  or  speaking.  At  last  the 
witch  returned,  and  said,  with  a  hollow  voice,  "  Greet 
you,  Zachiel!  if  the  moon  shines  on  your  side,  release 
this  one  at  once."  Then  Joringel  became  free,  and  fell 
down  on  his  knees  before  the  witch,  and  begged  her  to 
give  him  back  Jorinde;  but  she  refused,  and  said  he 
should  never  again  have  her,  and  went  away.  He  cried, 
and  wept,  and  groaned  after  her,  but  all  to  no  purpose; 
at  length  he  rose  and  went  into  a  strange  village,  where 
for  some  time  he  tended  sheep.  He  often  went  round 
about  the  enchanted  castle,  but  never  too  near,  and  one 
night  after  so  walking,  he  dreamt  that  he  found  a  blood- 
red  flower,  in  the  middle  of  which  lay  a  fine  pearl. 
This  flower,  he  thought,  he  broke  off,  and,  going  there- 
with to  the  castle,  all  he  touched  with  it  was  free  from 
enchantment,  and  thus  he  regained  his  Jorinde. 

When  he  awoke  next  morning  He  began  his  search 
over  hill  and  valley  to  find  such  a  flower,  but  nine  days 
had  passed  away.  At  length,  early  one  morning,  he 
discovered  it,  and  in  its  middle  was  a  large  dewdrop, 
like  a  beautiful  pearl.  Then  he  carried  the  flower  day 
and  night,  till  he  came  to  the  castle;  and,  although  he 
ventured  within  the  enchanted  circle,  he  was  not  stopped, 
but  walked  on  quite  to  the  door.  Joringel  was  now  in 
high  spirits,  and  touching  the  door  with  his  flower  it 
flew  open.  He  entered,  and  passed  through  the  hall, 
listening  for  the  sound  of  the  birds,  which  at  last  he 

125 


JORINDE  AND  JORINGEL 

heard.  He  found  the  room,  and  went  in,  and  there  was 
the  enchantress  feeding  the  birds  in  the  seven  thousand 
baskets.  As  soon  as  she  saw  Joringel  she  became  fright- 
fully enraged,  and  spat  out  poison  and  gall  at  him,  but 
she  dared  not  come  too  close.  He  would  not  turn  back 
for  her,  but  looked  at  the  baskets  of  birds;  but,  alas! 
there  were  many  hundreds  of  nightingales,  and  how  was 
he  to  know  his  Jorinde?  While  he  was  examining  them 
he  perceived  the  old  woman  secretly  taking  away  one  of 
the  baskets,  and  slipping  out  of  the  door.  Joringel  flew 
after  her,  and  touched  the  basket  with  his  flower,  and 
also  the  old  woman,  so  that  she  could  no  longer  bewitch; 
and  at  once  Jorinde  stood  before  him,  and  fell  upon  his 
neck,  as  beautiful  as  she  ever  was.  Afterwards  he  dis- 
enchanted all  the  other  birds,  and  then  returned  home 
with  his  Jorinde,  and  for  many  years  they  lived  together 
happily  and  contentedly. 


126 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 


N  old  Queen,  wKose  husband  had 
been  dead  some  years,  had  a  beauti- 
ful daughter.  When  she  grew  up, 
she  was  betrothed  to  a  Prince  who 
lived  a  great  way  off;  and  as  the 
time  drew  near  for  her  to  be  married, 
she  got  ready  to  set  off  on  her  jour- 
ney to  his  country.  Then  the  Queen 
her  mother  packed  up  a  great  many  costly  things;  jewels, 
and  gold,  and  silver;  trinkets,  fine  dresses,  and  in  short 
everything  that  became  a  royal  bride;  for  she  loved  her 
child  very  dearly:  and  she  gave  her  a  waiting-maid  to 
ride  with  her,  and  give  her  into  the  bridegroom's  hands; 
and  each  had  a  horse  for  the  journey.  Now  the  Princess's 
horse  was  called  Falada,  and  could  speak. 

When  the  time  came  for  them  to  set  out,  the  old 
Queen  went  into  her  bedchamber,  and  took  a  little  knife, 
and  cut  off  a  lock  of  her  hair,  and  gave  it  to  her  daughter, 
and  said,  "Take  care  of  it,  dear  child;  for  it  is  a  charm 
that  may  be  of  use  to  you  on  the  road."  Then  they  took 
a  sorrowful  leave  of  each  other,  and  the  Princess  put  the 
lock  of  her  mother's  hair  into  her  bosom,  got  upon  her 
horse,  and  set  off  on  her  journey  to  her  bridegroom's 


129 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 

kingdom.  One  day,  as  they  were  riding  along  by  the 
side  of  a  brook,  the  Princess  began  to  feel  very  thirsty, 
and  said  to  her  maid,  "  Pray  get  down  and  fetch  me 
some  water  in  my  golden  cup  out  of  yonder  brook,  for 
I  want  to  drink."  "  Nay,"  said  the  maid,  "  if  you  are 
thirsty,  get  down  yourself,  and  lie  down  by  the  water 
and  drink;  I  shall  not  be  your  waiting-maid  any  longer." 
Then  she  was  so  thirsty  that  she  got  down,  and  knelt 
over  the  little  brook,  and  drank,  for  she  was  frightened, 
and  dared  not  bring  out  her  golden  cup;  and  then  she 
wept,  and  said,  "Alas!  what  will  become  of  me?  "  And 
the  lock  of  hair  answered  her,  and  said : 

"  Alas !  alas !  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  her  heart  would  rue  it." 

But  the  Princess  was  very  humble  and  meek,  so  she  said 
nothing  to  her  maid's  ill  behaviour,  but  got  upon  her 
horse  again. 

Then  all  rode  further  on  their  journey,  till  the  day 
grew  so  warm,  and  the  sun  so  scorching,  that  the  bride 
began  to  feel  very  thirsty  again;  and  at  last  when  they 
came  to  a  river  she  forgot  her  maid's  rude  speech,  and 
said,  "  Pray  get  down  and  fetch  me  some  water  to  drink 
in  my  golden  cup."  But  the  maid  answered  her,  and 
even  spoke  more  haughtily  than  before,  "  Drink  if  you 
will,  but  I  shall  not  be  your  waiting-maid."  Then  the 
Princess  was  so  thirsty  that  she  got  off  her  horse,  and  lay 
down,  and  held  her  head  over  the  running  stream,  and 

130 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 

cried,  and  said,  "  What  will  become  of  me?  "  And  the 
lock  of  hair  answered  her  again : 

"  Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  her  heart  would  rue  it." 

And  as  she  leaned  down  to  drink,  the  lock  of  hair  fell 
from  her  bosom,  and  floated  away  with  the  water,  with- 
out her  seeing  it,  she  was  so  frightened.  But  her  maid 
saw  it,  and  was  very  glad,  for  she  knew  the  charm,  and 
saw  that  the  poor  bride  would  be  in  her  power,  now  that 
she  had  lost  the  hair.  So  when  the  bride  had  done,  and 
would  have  got  upon  Falada  again,  the  maid  said,  "  I 
shall  ride  upon  Falada,  and  you  may  have  my  horse 
instead " :  so  she  was  forced  to  give  up  her  horse,  and 
soon  afterwards  to  take  off  her  royal  clothes,  and  put  on 
her  maid's  shabby  ones. 

At  last,  as  they  drew  near  the  end  of  their  journey, 
this  treacherous  servant  threatened  to  kill  her  mistress  if 
she  ever  told  any  one  what  had  happened.  But  Falada 
saw  it  all,  and  marked  it  well.  Then  the  waiting-maid 
got  upon  Falada,  and  the  real  bride  was  set  upon  the 
other  horse,  and  they  went  on  in  this  way  till  at  last  they 
came  to  the  royal  court.  There  was  great  joy  at  their 
coming,  and  the  Prince  flew  to  meet  them,  and  lifted  the 
maid  from  her  horse,  thinking  she  was  the  one  who  was 
to  be  his  wife;  and  she  was  led  up  stairs  to  the  royal 
chamber,  but  the  true  Princess  was  told  to  stay  in  the 
court  below. 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 

But  the  old  King  happened  to  be  looking  out  of  the 
window,  and  saw  her  in  the  yard  below;  and  as  she 
looked  very  pretty,  and  too  delicate  for  a  waiting-maid, 
he  went  into  the  royal  chamber  to  ask  the  bride  who  it 
was  she  had  brought  with  her,  that  was  thus  left  standing 
in  the  court  below.  "  I  brought  her  with  me  for  the 
sake  of  her  company  on  the  road,"  said  she;  "pray  give 
the  girl  some  work  to  do,  that  she  may  not  be  idle." 
The  old  King  could  not  for  some  time  think  of  any  work 
for  her  to  do ;  but  at  last  he  said,  "  I  have  a  lad  who  takes 
care  of  my  geese;  she  may  go  and  help  him."  Now  the 
name  of  this  lad,  that  the  real  bride  was  to  help  in  watch- 
ing the  King's  geese,  was  Curdken. 

Soon  after,  the  false  bride  said  to  the  Prince,  "  Dear 
husband,  pray  do  me  one  piece  of  kindness."  "  That  I 
will,"  said  the  Prince.  "  Then  tell  one  of  your  slaughterers 
to  cut  off  the  head  of  the  horse  I  rode  upon,  for  it  was 
very  unruly,  and  plagued  me  sadly  on  the  road " :  but 
the  truth  was,  she  was  very  much  afraid  lest  Falada  should 
speak,  and  tell  all  she  had  done  to  the  Princess.  She 
carried  her  point,  and  the  faithful  Falada  was  killed:  but 
when  the  true  Princess  heard  of  it,  she  wept,  and  begged 
the  man  to  nail  up  Falada's  head  against  a  large  dark  gate 
of  the  city,  through  which  she  had  to  pass  every  morning 
and  evening,  that  there  she  might  still  see  him  sometimes. 
Then  the  slaughterer  said  he  would  do  as  she  wished; 
and  cut  off  the  head,  and  nailed  it  fast  under  the  dark  gate. 

132 


Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  Curdken's  hat  go! 
Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  him  after  it  go!  " 


SEE  PAGE  135. 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 

Early  the  next  morning,  as  she  and  Curdken  went  out 
through  the  gate,  she  said  sorrowfully: 

"  Falada,  Falada,  there  thou  art  hanging!" 
and  the  head  answered : 

"  Bride,  bride,  there  thou  art  ganging! 
Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  her  heart  would  rue  it." 

Then  they  went  out  of  the  city,  and  drove  the  geese 
on.  And  when  she  came  to  the  meadow,  she  sat  down 
upon  a  bank  there,  and  let  down  her  waving  locks  of  hair, 
which  were  all  of  pure  silver;  and  when  Curdken  saw  it 
glitter  in  the  sun,  he  ran  up,  and  would  have  pulled  some 
of  the  locks  out;  but  she  cried: 

"  Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  Curdken's  hat  go! 
Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  him  after  it  go! 
O'er  hills,  dales,  and  rocks, 
Away  be  it  whirl'd, 
Till  the  silvery  locks 
Are  all  comb'd  and  curl'd!" 

Then  there  came  a  wind,  so  strong  that  it  blew  off 
Curdken's  hat;  and  away  it  flew  over  the  hills,  and  he 
after  it;  till,  by  the  time  he  came  back,  she  had  done 
combing  and  curling  her  hair,  and  put  it  up  again  safe. 
Then  he  was  very  angry  and  sulky,  and  would  not  speak 
to  her  at  all;  but  they  watched  the  geese  until  it  grew 
dark  in  the  evening,  and  then  drove  them  homewards. 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 

The  next  morning,  as  they  were  going  through  the 
dark  gate,  the  poor  girl  looked  up  at  Falada's  head,  and 
cried : 

"  Falada,  Falada,  there  thou  art  hanging!  " 
and  it  answered: 

"  Bride,  bride,  there  thou  art  ganging! 
Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  her  heart  would  rue  it." 

Then  she  drove  on  the  geese,  and  sat  down  again  in 
the  meadow,  and  began  to  comb  out  her  hair  as  before; 
and  Curdken  ran  up  to  her,  and  wanted  to  take  hold  of 
it;  but  she  cried  out  quickly: 

"  Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  Curdken's  hat  go! 
Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  him  after  it  go! 
O'er  hills,  dales,  and  rocks, 
Away  be  it  whirl'd, 
Till  the  silvery  locks 
Are  all  comb'd  and  curl'd!" 

Then  the  wind  came  and  blew  his  hat,  and  off  it  flew 
a  great  way,  over  the  hills  and  far  away,  so  that  he  had 
to  run  after  it;  and  when  he  came  back,  she  had  done  up 
her  hair  again,  and  all  "was  safe.  So  they  watched  the 
geese  till  it  grew  dark. 

In  the  evening,  after  they  came  home,  Curdken  went 
to  the  old  King,  and  said,  "  I  cannot  have  that  strange 
girl  to  help  me  to  keep  the  geese  any  longer."  "  Why?  " 

136 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 

said  the  King.  "  Because  she  does  nothing  but  tease  me 
all  day  long."  Then  the  King  made  him  tell  him  all  that 
had  passed.  And  Curdken  said,  "  When  we  go  in  the 
morning  through  the  dark  gate  with  our  flock  of  geese, 
she  weeps,  and  talks  with  the  head  of  a  horse  that  hangs 
upon  the  wall,  and  says: 

'  Falada,  Falada,  there  thou  art  hanging! ' 
and  the  head  answers : 

'  Bride,  bride,  there  thou  art  ganging! 
Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  her  heart  would  rue  it.'  " 

And  Curdken  went  on  telling  the  King  what  had  happened 
upon  the  meadow  where  the  geese  fed;  and  how  his  hat 
was  blown  away,  and  he  was  forced  to  run  after  it,  and 
leave  his  flock.  But  the  old  King  told  him  to  go  out 
again  as  usual  the  next  day:  and  when  morning  came, 
he  placed  himself  behind  the  dark  gate,  and  heard  how 
she  spoke  to  Falada,  and  how  Falada  answered;  and  then 
he  went  into  the  field,  and  hid  himself  in  a  bush  by  the 
meadow's  side,  and  soon  saw  with  his  own  eyes  how  they 
drove  the  flock  of  geese,  and  how,  after  a  little  time,  she 
let  down  her  hair  that  glittered  in  the  sun;  and  then  he 
heard  her  say : 

"  Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  Curdken's  hat  go! 
Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  him  after  it  go! 

137 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 

O'er  hills,  dales,  and  rocks, 
Away  be  it  whirl'd, 
Till  the  silvery  locks 
Are  all  comb'd  and  curl'd!" 

And  soon  came  a  gale  of  wind,  and  carried  away  Curdken's 
hat,  while  the  girl  went  on  combing  and  curling  her  hair. 
All  this  the  old  King  saw :  so  he  went  home  without  being 
seen;  and  when  the  little  goose  girl  came  back  in  the 
evening,  he  called  her  aside,  and  asked  her  why  she  did 
so :  but  she  burst  into  tears,  and  said,  "  That  I  must  not 
tell  you  or  any  man,  or  I  shall  lose  my  life." 

But  the  old  King  begged  so  hard,  that  she  had  no  peace 
till  she  had  told  him  all,  word  for  word:  and  it  was  very 
lucky  for  her  that  she  did  so,  for  the  King  ordered  royal 
clothes  to  be  put  upon  her,  and  gazed  on  her  with  wonder, 
she  was  so  beautiful.  Then  he  called  his  son,  and  told 
him,  that  he  had  only  the  false  bride,  for  that  she  was 
merely  a  waiting-maid,  while  the  true  one  stood  by.  And 
the  young  King  rejoiced  when  he  saw  her  beauty,  and 
heard  how  meek  and  patient  she  had  been;  and,  with- 
out saying  anything,  ordered  a  great  feast  to  be  got  ready 
for  all  his  court.  The  bridegroom  sat  at  the  top,  with 
the  false  Princess  on  one  side,  and  the  true  one  on  the 
other;  but  nobody  knew  her,  for  she  was  quite  dazzling 
to  their  eyes,  and  was  not  at  all  like  the  little  goose  girl, 
now  that  she  had  her  brilliant  dress. 

When  they  had  eaten  and  drunk,  and  were  very  merry, 

138 


THE  GOOSE  GIRL 

the  old  King  told  all  the  story,  as  one  that  he  had  once 
heard  of,  and  asked  the  true  waiting-maid  what  she 
thought  ought  to  be  done  to  any  one  who  would  behave 
thus.  "  Nothing  better,"  said  this  false  bride,  "  than  that 
she  should  be  thrown  into  a  cask  stuck  round  with  sharp 
nails,  and  that  two  white  horses  should  be  put  to  it,  and 
should  drag  it  from  street  to  street  till  she  is  dead.'' 
"  Thou  art  she!  "  said  the  old  King,  "  and  since  thou  hast 
judged  thyself,  it  shall  be  so  done  to  thee."  And  the 
young  King  was  married  to  his  true  wife,  and  they  reigned 
over  the  kingdom  in  peace  and  happiness  all  their  lives. 


139 


CLEVER  ALICE 


CLEVER  ALICE 


NCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  man 
who  had  a  daughter,  who  was  called 
"  Clever  Alice"  ;  and  when  she  was 
grown  up,  her  father  said,  "  We  must 
see  about  her  marrying."  "  Yes," 
replied  her  mother,  "  when  one 
comes  who  shall  be  worthy  of  her." 
At  last  a  certain  youth,  by  name 
Hans,  came  from  a  distance  to  make  a  proposal  for  her, 
but  he  put  in  one  condition,  that  Clever  Alice  should 
also  be  very  prudent.  "  Oh,"  said  her  father,  "  she  has 
got  a  head  full  of  brains";  and  the  mother  added,  "Ah, 
she  can  hear  the  wind  blow  up  the  street,  and  hear  the 
flies  cough ! " 

"Very  well,"  replied  Hans,  "but  if  she  is  not  very 
prudent,  I  will  not  have  her."  Soon  afterwards  they  sat 
down  to  dinner,  and  her  mother  said,  "  Alice,  go  down 
into  the  cellar  and  draw  some  beer." 

So  Clever  Alice  took  the  jug  down  from  the  wall  and 
went  into  the  cellar,  jerking  the  lid  up  and  down  on  her 
way  to  pass  away  the  time.  As  soon  as  she  got  downstairs 
she  drew  a  stool  and  placed  it  before  the  cask,  in  order 
that  she  might  not  have  to  stoop,  whereby  she  might  do 


'H3 


CLEVER  ALICE 

some  injury  to  her  back,  and  give  it  an  undesirable  bend. 
Then  she  placed  the  can  before  her  and  turned  the  tap, 
and  while  the  beer  was  running,  as  she  did  not  .wish  her 
eyes  to  be  idle,  she  looked  about  upon  the  wall  above  and 
below,  and  presently  perceived,  after  much  peeping  into 
this  and  that  corner,  a  hatchet,  which  the  bricklayers  had 
left  behind,  sticking  out  of  the  ceiling  right  above  her. 
At  the  sight  of  this  the  Clever  Alice  began  to  cry,  saying, 
"  Oh,  if  I  marry  Hans,  and  we  have  a  child,  and  he  grow 
up,  and  we  send  him  into  the  cellar  to  draw  beer,  the 
hatchet  will  fall  upon  his  head  and  kill  him !  "  and  so  say- 
ing, she  sat  there  weeping  with  all  her  might  over  the 
impending  misfortune. 

Meanwhile  the  good  folks  upstairs  were  waiting  for 
the  beer,  but  as  Clever  Alice  did  not  come,  her  mother 
told  the  maid  to  go  and  see  what  she  was  stopping  for. 
The  maid  went  down  into  the  cellar  and  found  Alice 
sitting  before  the  cask  crying  heartily,  and  she  asked, 
"  Alice,  what  are  you  weeping  about?  "  "  Ah,"  she  re- 
plied, "  have  I  not  cause?  If  I  marry  Hans,  and  we  have 
a  child,  and  he  grow  up,  and  we  send  him  here  to  draw 
beer,  that  hatchet  will  fall  upon  his  head  and  kill  him." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  maid,  "  what  a  Clever  Alice  we  have ! ' 
And,  sitting  down,  she  began  to  weep,  too,  for  the  mis- 
fortune that  was  to  happen. 

After  a  while,  and  the  maid  did  not  return,  the  good 
folks  above  began  to  feel  very  thirsty;  so  the  husband  told 

144 


CLEVER  ALICE 

the  boy  to  go  down  into  the  cellar,  and  see  what  had 
become  of  Alice  and  the  maid.  The  boy  went  down, 
and  there  sat  Clever  Alice  and  the  maid  both  crying,  so 
he  asked  the  reason;  and  Alice  told  him  the  same  tale 
of  the  hatchet  that  was  to  fall  on  her  child,  as  she  had 
told  the  maid.  When  she  had  finished,  the  boy  exclaimed, 
"  What  a  Clever  Alice  we  have  I "  and  fell  weeping  and 
howling  with  the  others. 

Upstairs  they  were  still  waiting,  and  the  husband  said, 
when  the  boy  did  not  return,  "  Do  you  go  down,  wife, 
into  the  cellar  and  see  why  Alice  stops."  So  she  went 
down,  and  finding  all  three  sitting  there  crying,  asked  the 
reason,  and  Alice  told  her  about  the  hatchet  which  must 
inevitably  fall  upon  the  head  of  her  son.  Then  the  mother 
likewise  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  what  a  Clever  Alice  we  have !  " 
and,  sitting  down,  began  to  weep  with  the  others.  Mean- 
while the  husband  waited  for  his  wife's  return;  but  at  last 
he  felt  so  very  thirsty  that  he  said,  "  I  must  go  myself  down 
into  the  cellar  and  see  what  Alice  stops  for.''  As  soon  as 
he  entered  the  cellar,  there  he  found  the  four  sitting  and 
crying  together,  and  when  he  heard  the  reason,  he  also 
exclaimed,  "  Oh,  what  a  Clever  Alice  we  have ! "  and  sat 
down  to  cry  with  the  others.  All  this  time  the  bridegroom 
above  sat  waiting,  but  when  nobody  returned  he  thought 
they  must  be  waiting  for  him,  and  so  he  went  down  to  see 
what  was  the  matter.  When  he  entered,  there  sat  the  five 
crying  and  groaning,  each  one  in  a  louder  key  than  his 


CLEVER  ALICE 

neighbour.  "  What  misfortune  has  happened?  "  he  asked. 
"  Ah,  dear  Hans!  "  cried  Alice,  "  if  we  should  marry  one 
another,  and  have  a  child,  and  he  grow  up,  and  we,  per- 
haps, send  him  down  here  to  tap  the  beer,  the  hatchet 
which  has  been  left  sticking  there  may  fall  on  his  head, 
and  so  kill  him;  and  do  you  not  think  that  enough  to 
weep  about?  " 

"  Now,"  said  Hans,  "  more  prudence  than  this  is  not 
necessary  for  my  housekeeping;  because  you  are  such  a 
Clever  Alice  I  will  have  you  for  my  wife."  And,  taking 
her  hand,  he  led  her  home,  and  celebrated  the  wedding 
directly. 

After  they  had  been  married  a  little  while,  Hans  said 
one  morning,  "  Wife,  I  will  go  out  to  work  and  earn 
some  money;  do  you  go  into  the  field  and  gather  some 
corn  wherewith  to  make  bread." 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  "  I  will  do  so,  dear  Hans."  And 
when  he  was  gone,  she  cooked  herself  a  nice  mess  of  pottage 
to  take  with  her.  As  she  came  to  the  field,  she  said  to  her- 
self, "  What  shall  I  do?  Shall  I  cut  first,  or  eat  first?  Ay, 
I  will  eat  first !  "  Then  she  ate  up  the  contents  of  her  pot, 
and  when  it  was  finished,  she  thought  to  herself,  "  Now, 
shall  I  reap  first  or  sleep  first?  Well,  I  think  I  will  have  a 
nap !  "  and  so  she  laid  herself  down  amongst  the  corn,  and 
went  to  sleep.  Meanwhile  Hans  returned  home,  but  Alice 
did  not  come,  and  so  he  said,  "  Oh,  what  a  prudent  Alice 
I  have;  she  is  so  industrious  that  she  does  not  even  come 

146 


The  bells  jingled  at  every  step  she 
took. 


SEE  PAGE  149. 


CLEVER  ALICE 

home  to  eat  anything."  By  and  by,  however,  evening 
came  on,  and  still  she  did  not  return;  so  Hans  went  out 
to  see  how  much  she  had  reaped;  but,  behold,  nothing 
at  all,  and  there  lay  Alice  fast  asleep  among  the  corn !  So 
home  he  ran  very  fast,  and  brought  a  net  with  little  bells 
hanging  on  it,  which  he  threw  over  her  head  while  she 
still  slept  on.  When  he  had  done  this,  he  went  back  again 
and  shut  to  the  house  door,  and,  seating  himself  on  his  stool, 
began  working  very  industriously. 

At  last,  when  it  was  quite  dark,  Clever  Alice  awoke, 
and  as  soon  as  she  stood  up,  the  net  fell  all  over  her  hair, 
and  the  bells  jingled  at  every  step  she  took.  This  quite 
frightened  her,  and  she  began  to  doubt  whether  she  were 
really  Clever  Alice,  and  said  to  herself,  "  Am  I  she,  or  am 
I  not?  "  This  question  she  could  not  answer,  and  she 
stood  still  a  long  while  considering.  At  last  she  thought 
she  would  go  home  and  ask  whether  she  were  really 
herself — supposing  they  would  be  able  to  tell.  When 
she  came  to  the  house  door  it  was  shut;  so  she  tapped  at 
the  window,  and  asked,  "  Hans,  is  Alice  within?  "  "  Yes," 
he  replied,  "  she  is."  Now  she  was  really  terrified,  and 
exclaiming,  "  Ah,  heaven,  then  I  am  not  Alice !  "  she  ran 
up  to  another  house ;  but  as  soon  as  the  folks  within  heard 
the  jingling  of  the  bells  they  would  not  open  their  doors, 
and  so  nobody  would  receive  her.  Then  she  ran  straight 
away  from  the  village,  and  no  one  has  ever  seen  her  since. 


149 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 


HERE  was  once  a  King  who  had 
three  sons.  Not  far  from  his  king- 
dom lived  an  old  woman  who  had 
an  only  daughter  called  Cherry. 
The  King  sent  his  sons  out  to  see 
the  world,  that  they  might  learn 
the  ways  of  foreign  lands,  and  get 
wisdom  and  skill  in  ruling  the  king- 
dom that  they  were  one  day  to  have  for  their  own.  But 
the  old  woman  lived  at  peace  at  home  with  her  daughter, 
who  was  called  Cherry,  because  she  liked  cherries  better 
than  any  other  kind  of  food,  and  would  eat  scarcely  any- 
thing else.  Now  her  poor  old  mother  had  no  garden, 
and  no  money  to  buy  cherries  every  day  for  her  daughter ; 
and  at  last  there  was  no  other  plan  left  but  to  go  to  a 
neighbouring  nunnery-garden  and  beg  the  finest  she 
could  get  of  the  nuns;  for  she  dared  not  let  her  daughter 
go  out  by  herself,  as  she  was  very  pretty,  and  she  feared 
some  mischance  might  befall  her.  Cherry's  taste  was, 
however,  very  well  known;  and  as  it  happened  that  the 
Abbess  was  as  fond  of  cherries  as  she  was,  it  was  soon  found 
out  where  all  the  best  fruit  went;  and  the  Holy  Mother 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 

was  not  a  little  angry  at  missing  some  of  her  stock  and 
finding  whither  it  had  gone. 

The  Princes  while  wandering  on  came  one  day  to  the 
town  where  Cherry  and  her  mother  lived;  and  as  they 
passed  along  the  street  they  saw  the  fair  maiden  standing  at 
the  window,  combing  her  long  and  beautiful  locks  of  hair. 
Then  each  of  the  three  fell  deeply  in  love  with  her,  and 
began  to  say  how  much  he  longed  to  have  her  for  his 
wife!  Scarcely  had  the  wish  been  spoken,  when  all  drew 
their  swords,  and  a  dreadful  battle  began;  the  fight  lasted 
long,  and  their  rage  grew  hotter  and  hotter,  when  at  last 
the  Abbess  hearing  the  uproar  came  to  the  gate.  Finding 
that  her  neighbour  was  the  cause,  her  old  spite  against 
her  broke  forth  at  once,  and  in  her  rage  she  wished  Cherry 
turned  into  an  ugly  frog,  and  sitting  in  the  water  under 
the  bridge  at  the  world's  end.  No  sooner  said  than  done; 
and  poor  Cherry  became  a  frog,  and  vanished  out  of  their 
sight.  The  Princes  had  now  nothing  to  fight  for;  so 
sheathing  their  swords  again,  they  shook  hands  as  brothers, 
and  went  on  towards  their  father's  home. 

The  old  King  meanwhile  found  that  he  grew  weak 
and  ill-fitted  for  the  business  of  reigning:  so  he  thought 
of  giving  up  his  kingdom;  but  to  whom  should  it  be? 
This  was  a  point  that  his  fatherly  heart  could  not  settle; 
for  he  loved  all  his  sons  alike.  "  My  dear  children,"  said 
he,  "  I  grow  old  and  weak,  and  should  like  to  give  up  my 
kingdom;  but  I  cannot  make  up  my  mind  which  of  you 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 

to  choose  for  my  heir,  for  I  love  you  all  three;  and  be- 
sides, I  should  wish  to  give  my  people  the  cleverest  and 
best  of  you  for  their  King.  However,  I  will  give  you  three 
trials,  and  the  one  who  wins  the  prize  shall  have  the 
kingdom.  The  first  is  to  seek  me  out  one  hundred  ells 
of  cloth,  so  fine  that  I  can  draw  it  through  my  golden 
ring."  The  sons  said  they  would  do  their  best,  and  set 
out  on  the  search. 

The  two  eldest  brothers  took  with  them  many  fol- 
lowers, and  coaches  and  horses  of  all  sorts,  to  bring  home 
all  the  beautiful  cloths  which  they  should  find;  but  the 
youngest  went  alone  by  himself.  They  soon  came  to  where 
the  roads  branched  off  into  several  ways ;  two  ran  through 
smiling  meadows,  with  smooth  paths  and  shady  groves,  but 
the  third  looked  dreary  and  dirty,  and  went  over  barren 
wastes.  The  two  eldest  chose  the  pleasant  ways;  and  the 
youngest  took  his  leave  and  whistled  along  over  the  dreary 
road.  Whenever  fine  linen  was  to  be  seen,  the  two  elder 
brothers  bought  it,  and  bought  so  much  that  their  coaches 
and  horses  bent  under  their  burden.  The  youngest,  on 
the  other  hand,  journeyed  on  many  a  weary  day,  and  found 
not  a  place  where  he  could  buy  even  one  piece  of  cloth 
that  was  at  all  fine  and  good.  His  heart  sank  within 
him,  and  every  mile  he  grew  more  and  more  heavy  and 
sorrowful.  At  last  he  came  to  a  bridge  over  a  stream,  and 
there  he  sat  himself  down  to  rest  and  sigh  over  his  bad 
luck,  when  an  ugly-looking  frog  popped  its  head  out  of 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 

the  water,  and  asked,  with  a  voice  that  had  not  at  all  a 
harsh  sound  to  his  ears,  what  was  the  matter.  The  Prince 
said  in  a  pet,  "  Silly  frog !  thou  canst  not  help  me."  "  Who 
told  you  so?"  said  the  frog;  "tell  me  what  ails  you." 
After  a  while  the  Prince  opened  the  whole  story,  and  told 
why  his  father  had  sent  him  out.  "  I  will  help  you,"  said 
the  frog ;  so  it  jumped  back  into  the  stream  and  soon  came 
back  dragging  a  small  piece  of  linen  not  bigger  than  one's 
hand,  and  by  no  means  the  cleanest  in  the  world  in  its 
look.  However,  there  it  was,  and  the  Prince  was  told  to 
take  it  away  with  him.  He  had  no  great  liking  for  such 
a  dirty  rag;  but  still  there  was  something  in  the  frog's 
speech  that  pleased  him  much,  and  he  thought  to  him- 
self, "  It  can  do  no  harm,  it  is  better  than  nothing " ; 
so  he  picked  it  up,  put  it  in  his  pocket,  and  thanked  the 
frog,  who  dived  down  again,  panting  and  quite  tired,  as  it 
seemed,  with  its  work.  The  further  he  went  the  heavier 
he  found  to  his  great  joy  the  pocket  grow,  and  so  he 
turned  himself  homewards,  trusting  greatly  in  his  good 
luck. 

He  reached  home  nearly  about  the  same  time  that  his 
brothers  came  up,  with  their  horses  and  coaches  all  heavily 
laden.  Then  the  old  King  was  very  glad  to  see  his  children 
again,  and  pulled  the  ring  off  his  finger  to  try  who  had 
done  the  best;  but  in  all  the  stock  which  the  two  eldest 
had  brought  there  was  not  one  piece  a  tenth  part  of  which 
would  go  through  the  ring.  At  this  they  were  greatly 

156 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 

abashed;  for  they  had  made  a  laugh  of  their  brother,  who 
came  home,  as  they  thought,  empty-handed.  But  how  , 
great  was  their  anger  when  they  saw  him  pull  from  his 
pocket  a  piece  that  for  softness,  beauty,  and  whiteness, 
was  a  thousand  times  better  than  anything  that  was  ever 
before  seen !  It  was  so  fine  that  it  passed  with  ease  through 
the  ring;  indeed,  two  such  pieces  would  readily  have  gone 
in  together.  The  father  embraced  the  lucky  youth,  told 
his  servants  to  throw  the  coarse  linen  into  the  sea,  and 
said  to  his  children,  "  Now  you  must  set  about  the  second 
task  which  I  am  to  set  you:  bring  me  home  a  little  dog, 
so  small  that  it  will  lie  in  a  nutshell." 

His  sons  were  not  a  little  frightened  at  such  a  task; 
but  they  all  longed  for  the  crown,  and  made  up  their 
minds  to  go  and  try  their  hands,  and  so  after  a  few  days 
they  set  out  once  more  on  their  travels.  At  the  cross- 
ways  they  parted  as  before,  and  the  youngest  chose  his 
old  dreary  rugged  road  with  all  the  bright  hopes  that  his 
former  good  luck  gave  him.  Scarcely  had  he  sat  himself 
down  again  at  the  bridge  foot,  when  his  old  friend  the  frog 
jumped  out,  set  itself  beside  him,  and  as  before  opened  its 
big  wide  mouth,  and  croaked  out,  "  What  is  the  matter?  " 
The  Prince  had  this  time  no  doubt  of  the  frog's  power, 
and  therefore  told  what  he  wanted.  "  It  shall  be  done 
for  you,"  said  the  frog;  and  springing  into  the  stream  it 
soon  brought  up  a  hazel-nut,  laid  it  at  his  feet,  and  told 
him  to  take  it  home  to  his  father,  and  crack  it  gently,  and 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 

then  see  what  would  happen.  The  Prince  went  his  way 
very  well  pleased,  and  the  frog,  tired  with  its  task,  jumped 
back  into  the  water. 

His  brothers  had  reached  home  first,  and  brought 
with  them  a  great  many  very  pretty  little  dogs.  The  old 
King,  willing  to  help  them  all  he  could,  sent  for  a  large 
walnut-shell  and  tried  it  with  every  one  of  the  little  dogs; 
but  one  stuck  fast  with  the  hind-foot  out,  and  another 
with  the  head,  and  a  third  with  the  fore-foot,  and  a  fourth 
with  its  tail — in  short,  some  one  way  and  some  another; 
but  none  were  at  all  likely  to  sit  easily  in  this  new  kind 
of  kennel.  When  all  had  been  tried,  the  youngest  made 
his  father  a  dutiful  bow,  and  gave  him  the  hazel-nut,  beg- 
ging him  to  crack  it  very  carefully:  the  moment  this  was 
done  out  ran  a  beautiful  little  white  dog  upon  the  King's 
hand,  wagged  its  tail,  fondled  his  new  master,  and  soon 
turned  about  and  barked  at  the  other  little  beasts  in  the 
most  graceful  manner,  to  the  delight  of  the  whole  court. 
The  joy  of  every  one  was  great;  the  old  King  again  em- 
braced his  lucky  son,  told  his  people  to  drown  all  the  other 
dogs  in  the  sea,  and  said  to  his  children,  "  Dear  sons ! 
your  weightiest  tasks  are  now  over;  listen  to  my  last  wish: 
whoever  brings  home  the  fairest  lady  shall  be  at  once  the 
heir  to  my  crown." 

The  prize  was  so  tempting  and  the  chance  so  fair  for 
all,  that  none  made  any  doubts  about  setting  to  work, 
each  in  his  own  way,  to  try  and  be  the  winner.  The 

158 


Within  sat  his  old  friend  the  frog. 


SEE  PAGE  161. 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 

youngest  was  not  in  such  good  spirits  as  he  was  the  last 
time;  he  thought  to  himself,  "The  old  frog  has  been 
able  to  do  a  great  deal  for  me;  but  all  its  power  must 
be  nothing  to  me  now,  for  where  should  it  find  me  a  fair 
maiden,  still  less  a  fairer  maiden  than  was  ever  seen  at 
my  father's  court?  The  swamps  where  it  lives  have  no 
living  things  in  them,  but  toads,  snakes,  and  such  vermin." 
Meantime  he  went  on,  and  sighed  as  he  sat  down  again 
with  a  heavy  heart  by  the  bridge.  "  Ah,  Frog !  "  said  he, 
"  this  time  thou  canst  do  me  no  good."  "  Never  mind," 
croaked  the  frog;  "only  tell  me  what  is  the  matter 
now."  Then  the  Prince  told  his  old  friend  what  trouble 
had  now  come  upon  him.  "  Go  thy  ways  home,"  said 
the  frog;  "the  fair  maiden  will  follow  hard  after;  but 
take  care  and  do  not  laugh  at  whatever  may  happen!" 
This  said,  it  sprang  as  before  into  the  water  and  was  soon 
out  of  sight.  The  Prince  still  sighed  on,  for  he  trusted 
very  little  this  time  to  the  frog's  word;  but  he  had  not 
set  many  steps  towards  home  before  he  heard  a  noise 
behind  him,  and  looking  round  saw  six  large  water-rats 
dragging  along  a  large  pumpkin  like  a  coach,  full  trot. 
On  the  box  sat  an  old  fat  toad  as  coachman,  and  behind 
stood  two  little  frogs  as  footmen,  and  two  fine  mice  with 
stately  whiskers  ran  before  as  outriders;  within  sat  his 
old  friend  the  frog,  rather  misshapen  and  unseemly  to 
be  sure,  but  still  with  somewhat  of  a  graceful  air  as  it 
bowed  to  him  in  passing.  Much  too  deeply  wrapt  in 

161 


CHERRY,  OR  THE  FROG  BRIDE 

thought  as  to  his  chance  of  finding  the  fair  lady  whom 
he  was  seeking  to  take  any  heed  of  the  strange  scene 
before  him,  the  Prince  scarcely  looked  at  it,  and  had  still 
less  mind  to  laugh.  The  coach  passed  on  a  little  way, 
and  soon  turned  a  corner  that  hid  it  from  his  sight;  but 
how  astonished  was  he,  on  turning  the  corner  himself, 
to  find  a  handsome  coach  and  six  black  horses  standing 
there,  with  a  coachman  in  gay  livery,  and  within,  the 
most  beautiful  lady  he  had  ever  seen,  whom  he  soon  knew 
to  be  the  fair  Cherry,  for  whom  his  heart  had  so  long 
ago  panted!  As  he  came  up,  the  servants  opened  the 
coach  door,  and  he  was  allowed  to  seat  himself  by  the 
beautiful  lady. 

They  soon  came  to  his  father's  city,  where  his  brothers 
also  came,  with  trains  of  fair  ladies ;  but  as  soon  as  Cherry 
was  seen,  all  the  court  gave  her  with  one  voice  the  crown 
of  beauty.  The  delighted  father  embraced  his  son,  and 
named  him  the  heir  to  his  crown,  and  ordered  all  the 
other  ladies  to  be  thrown,  like  the  little  dogs,  into  the  sea 
and  drowned.  Then  the  Prince  married  Cherry,  and 
lived  long  and  happily  with  her,  and  indeed  lives  with 
her  still — if  he  be  not  dead. 


162 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  MEN  IN  THE  WOOD 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  MEN  IN.  THE  WOOD 


NCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  man, 
whose  wife  had  died;  and  a  woman, 
also,  who  had  lost  her  husband :  and 
this  man  and  this  woman  had  each  a 
daughter.  These  two  maidens  were 
friendly  with  each  other,  and  used 
to  walk  together,  and  one  day  they 
came  by  the  widow's  house.  Then 
the  widow  said  to  the  man's  daughter,  "  Do  you  hear,  tell 
your  father  I  wish  to  marry  him,  and  you  shall  every  morn- 
ing wash  in  milk  and  drink  wine,  but  my  daughter  shall 
wash  in  water  and  drink  water."  So  the  girl  went  home 
and  told  her  father  what  the  woman  had  said,  and  he  re- 
plied, "  What  shall  I  do?  Marriage  is  a  comfort,  but  it 
is  also  a  torment."  At  last,  as  he  could  come  to  no  con- 
clusion, he  drew  off  his  boot,  and  said :  "  Take  this  boot, 
which  has  a  hole  in  the  sole,  and  go  with  it  out  of  doors 
and  hang  it  on  the  great  nail,  and  then  pour  water  into 
it.  If  it  holds  the  water,  I  will  again  take  a  wife;  but  if 
it  runs  through,  I  will  not  have  her."  The  girl  did  as  he 
bid  her,  but  the  water  drew  the  hole  together  and  the  boot 
became  full  to  overflowing.  So  she  told  her  father  how 
it  had  happened,  and  he,  getting  up,  saw  it  was  quite  true; 

165 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  MEN.  IN  THE  WOOD 

and  going  to  the  widow  he  settled  the  matter,  and  the 
wedding  was  celebrated. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  two  girls  arose,  milk  to 
wash  in  and  wine  to  drink  were  set  for  the  man's  daughter, 
but  only  water,  both  for  washing  and  drinking,  for  the 
woman's  daughter.  The  second  morning,  water  for  wash- 
ing and  drinking  stood  before  both  the  man's  daughter 
and  the  woman's;  and  on  the  third  morning,  water  to 
wash  in  and  water  to  drink  were  set  before  the  man's 
daughter,  and  milk  to  wash  in  and  wine  to  drink  before 
the  woman's  daughter,  and  so  it  continued. 

Soon  the  woman  conceived  a  deadly  hatred  for  her 
stepdaughter,  and  knew  not  how  to  behave  badly  enough 
to  her  from  day  to  day.  She  was  envious,  too,  because 
her  stepdaughter  was  beautiful  and  lovely,  and  her  own 
daughter  was  ugly  and  hateful. 

Once,  in  the  winter  time,  when  the  river  was  frozen 
as  hard  as  a  stone,  and  hill  and  valley  were  covered  with 
snow,  the  woman  made  a  cloak  of  paper,  and  called  the 
maiden  to  her  and  said,  "  Put  on  this  cloak,  and  go  away 
into  the  wood  to  fetch  me  a  little  basketful  of  strawberries, 
for  I  have  a  wish  for  some." 

"  Mercy  on  us ! '"  said  the  maiden,  "  in  winter  there 
are  no  strawberries  growing;  the  ground  is  frozen,  and 
the  snow,  too,  has  covered  everything.  And  why  must 
I  go  in  that  paper  cloak?  It  is  so  cold  out  of  doors 
that  it  freezes  one's  breath  even,  and  if  the  wind  does 

1 66 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  MEN  IN.  THE  WOOD. 

not  blow  off  this  cloak  the  thorns  will  tear  it  from  my 
body." 

"  Will  you  dare  to  contradict  me? "  said  the  step- 
mother. "  Make  haste  off,  and  let  me  not  see  you  again 
until  you  have  found  me  a  basket  of  strawberries."  Then 
she  gave  her  a  small  piece  of  dry  bread,  saying,  "  On  that 
you  must  subsist  the  whole  day."  But  she  thought — out 
of  doors  she  will  be  frozen  and  starved,  so  that  my  eyes 
will  never  see  her  again ! 

So  the  girl  did  as  she  was  told,  and  put  on  the  paper 
cloak,  and  went  away  with  the  basket.  Far  and  near 
there  was  nothing  but  snow,  and  not  a  green  blade  was 
to  be  seen.  When  she  came  to  the  forest  she  discovered 
a  little  cottage,  out  of  which  three  little  dwarfs  were  peep- 
ing. The  girl  wished  them  good  morning,  and  knocked 
gently  at  the  door.  They  called  her  in,  and  entering  the 
room,  she  sat  down  on  a  bench  by  the  fire  to  warm  her- 
self and  eat  her  breakfast.  The  dwarfs  called  out,  "  Give 
us  some  of  it!"  "Willingly,"  she  replied,  and,  dividing 
her  bread  in  two,  she  gave  them  half.  They  asked,  "  What 
do  you  here  in  the  forest,  in  the  winter  time,  in  this  thin 
cloak?  " 

"  Ah ! '"  she  answered,  "  I  must  seek  a  basketful  of 
strawberries,  and  I  dare  not  return  home  until  I  can  take 
them  with  me."  When  she  had  eaten  her  bread,  they 
gave  her  a  broom,  saying,  "  Sweep  away  the  snow  with 
this  from  the  back  door."  But  when  she  was  gone  out  of 

167 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  MEN  IN.  THE  WOOD 

doors  the  three  dwarfs  said  one  to  another,  "  What  shall 
we  give  her,  because  she  is  so  gentle  and  good,  and  has 
shared  her  bread  with  us?  "  Then  said  the  first,  "  I  grant 
to  her  that  she  shall  become  more  beautiful  every  day." 
The  second  said,  "  I  grant  that  a  piece  of  gold  shall  fall 
out  of  her  mouth  for  every  word  she  speaks."  The  third 
said,  "  I  grant  that  a  king  shall  come  and  make  her  his 
bride." 

Meanwhile,  the  girl  had  done  as  the  dwarfs  had  bidden 
her,  and  had  swept  away  the  snow  from  behind  the  house. 
And  what  do  you  think  she  found  there?  Actually,  ripe 
strawberries!  which  came  quite  red  and  sweet  up  under 
the  snow.  So  filling  her  basket  in  great  glee,  she  thanked 
the  little  men  and  gave  them  each  her  hand,  and  then  ran 
home  to  take  her  stepmother  what  she  wished  for.  As 
she  went  in  and  said,  "  Good  evening,"  a  piece  of  gold  fell 
from  her  mouth.  Thereupon  she  related  what  had  hap- 
pened to  her  in  the  forest;  but  at  every  word  she  spoke 
a  piece  of  gold  fell,  so  that  the  whole  floor  was  covered. 

"  Just  see  her  arrogance,"  said  the  stepsister,  "  to 
throw  away  money  in  that  way !  "  but  in  her  heart  she  was 
jealous,  and  wished  to  go  into  the  forest  too,  to  seek  straw- 
berries. Her  mother  said,  "No,  my  dear  daughter;  it  is 
too  cold,  you  will  be  frozen !  "  but  as  her  girl  let  her  have 
no  peace,  she  at  last  consented,  and  made  her  a  beautiful 
fur  cloak  to  put  on;  she  also  gave  her  buttered  bread  and 
cooked  meat  to  eat  on  her  way. 

1 68 


And  what  do   you   think  she  found 
there?    Actually,  ripe  strawberries! 


SEE  PAGE  168. 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  MEN  IN  THE  WOOD 

The  girl  went  into  the  forest  and  came  straight  to  the 
little  cottage.  The  three  dwarfs  were  peeping  out  again, 
but  she  did  not  greet  them;  and,  stumbling  on  without 
looking  at  them  or  speaking,  she  entered  the  room,  and, 
seating  herself  by  the  fire,  began  to  eat  the  bread  and 
butter  and  meat.  "  Give  us  some  of  that,"  exclaimed  the 
dwarfs;  but  she  answered,  "  I  have  not  got  enough  for 
myself,  so  how  can  I  give  any  away?  "  When  she  had 
finished  they  said,  "  You  have  a  broom  there;  go  and  sweep 
the  back  door  clean."  "  Oh,  sweep  it  yourself,"  she  re- 
plied; "  I  am  not  your  servant."  When  she  saw  that  they 
would  not  give  her  anything  she  went  out  at  the  door, 
and  the  three  dwarfs  said  to  each  other,  "  What  shall  we 
give  her?  she  is  so  ill-behaved,  and  has  such  a  bad  and 
envious  disposition,  that  nobody  can  wish  well  to  her." 
The  first  said,  "  I  grant  that  she  becomes  more  ugly  every 
day."  The  second  said,  "  I  grant  that  at  every  word  she 
speaks  a  toad  shall  spring  out  of  her  mouth."  The  third 
said,  "  I  grant  that  she  shall  die  a  miserable  death."  Mean- 
while the  girl  had  been  looking  for  strawberries  out  of 
doors,  but  as  she  could  find  none  she  went  home  very 
peevish.  When  she  opened  her  mouth  to  tell  her  mother 
what  had  happened  to  her  in  the  forest,  a  toad  jumped 
out  of  her  mouth  at  each  word,  so  that  every  one  fled  away 
from  her  in  horror. 

The  step-mother  was  now  still  more  vexed,  and  was 
always  thinking  how  she  could  do  the  most  harm  to  her 

.171 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  MEN  IN  THE  WOOD 

husband's  daughter,  who  every  day  became  more  beauti- 
ful. At  last  she  took  a  kettle,  set  it  on  the  fire,  and  boiled 
a  net  therein.  When  it  was  sodden  she  hung  it  on  the 
shoulder  of  the  poor  girl,  and  gave  her  an  axe,  that  she 
might  go  upon  the  frozen  pond  and  cut  a  hole  in  the  ice 
to  drag  the  net.  She  obeyed,  and  went  away  and  cut  an 
ice  hole;  and  while  she  was  cutting,  an  elegant  carriage 
came  by,  in  which  the  King  sat.  The  carriage  stopped, 
and  the  King  asked,  "  My  child,  who  are  you?  and  what 
do  you  here?  "  "  I  am  a  poor  girl,  and  am  dragging  a 
net,"  said  she.  Then  the  King  pitied  her,  and  saw  how 
beautiful  she  was,  and  said,  "  Will  you  go  with  me?  " 
"  Yes,  indeed,  with  all  my  heart,"  she  replied,  for  she  was 
glad  to  get  out  of  the  sight  of  her  mother  and  sister. 

So  she  was  handed  into  the  carriage,  and  driven  away 
with  the  King;  and  as  soon  as  they  arrived  at  his  castle 
the  wedding  was  celebrated  with  great  splendour,  as  the 
dwarfs  had  granted  to  the  maiden. 


172 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 


ggg  NE  summer's  morning  a  tailor  was 
JH  sitting  on  his  bench  by  the  window 
^  in  very  good  spirits,  sewing  away 
«  with  all  his  might,  and  presently  up 
*  the  street  came  a  peasant  woman, 
^  crying,  "  Good  preserves  for  sale ! 
Good  preserves  for  sale !  "  This  cry 
sounded  nice  in  the  tailor's  ears,  and, 
sticking  his  diminutive  head  out  of  the  window,  he 
called  out,  "  Here,  my  good  woman,  just  bring  your 
wares  here ! "  The  woman  mounted  the  three  steps  up 
to  the  tailor's  house  with  her  heavy  basket,  and  began 
to  unpack  all  the  pots  together  before  him.  He  looked 
at  them  all,  held  them  up  to  the  light,  put  his  nose  to 
them,  and  at  last  said,  "  These  preserves  appear  to  me  to 
be  very  nice,  so  you  may  weigh  me  out  four  half-ounces, 
my  good  woman;  I  don't  mind  even  if  you  make  it  a 
quarter  of  a  pound."  The  woman,  who  expected  to  have 
met  with  a  good  customer,  gave  him  what  he  wished, 
and  went  away  grumbling,  very  much  dissatisfied. 

"  Now ! "  exclaimed  the  tailor,  "  Heaven  will  send 
me  a  blessing  on  this  preserve,  and  give  me  fresh  strength 
and  vigour";  and,  taking  the  bread  out  of  the  cupboard, 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

he  cut  himself  a  slice  the  size  of  the  whole  loaf,  and 
spread  the  preserve  upon  it.  "  That  will  taste  by  no 
means  badly,"  said  he ;  "  but,  before  I  have  a  bite,  I 
will  just  get  this  waistcoat  finished."  So  he  laid  the 
bread  down  near  him  and  stitched  away,  making  larger 
and  larger  stitches  every  time  for  joy.  Meanwhile  the 
smell  of  the  preserve  mounted  to  the  ceiling,  where  flies 
were  sitting  in  great  numbers,  and  enticed  them  down, 
so  that  soon  a  regular  swarm  of  them  had  settled  on  the 
bread.  "Holloa!  who  invited  you?"  exclaimed  the 
tailor,  hunting  away  the  unbidden  guests;  but  the  flies, 
not  understanding  his  language,  would  not  be  driven  off, 
and  came  again  in  greater  numbers  than  before.  This 
put  the  little  man  in  a  boiling  passion,  and,  snatching 
up  in  his  rage  a  bag  of  cloth,  he  brought  it  down  with- 
an  unmerciful  swoop  upon  them.  When  he  raised  it 
again  he  counted  no  less  than  seven  lying  dead  before 
him  with  outstretched  legs.  "  What  a  fellow  you  are ! " 
said  he  to  himself,  wondering  at  his  own  bravery.  "  The 
whole  town  shall  know  of  this."  In  great  haste  he  cut 
himself  out  a  band,  hemmed  it,  and  then  put  on  it  in 
large  characters,  "SEVEN  AT  ONE  BLOW!"  "Ah,"  said 
he,  "  not  one  city  alone,  the  whole  world  shall  know 
it! "  and  his  heart  fluttered  with  joy,  like  a  lambkin's 
tail. 

The  little  tailor  bound  the  belt  round  his  body,  and 
prepared  to  travel  forth  into  the  wide  world,  thinking 

176 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

the  workshop  too  small  for  his  valiant  deeds.  Before  he 
set  out,  however,  he  looked  round  his  house  to  see  if 
there  was  anything  he  could  take  with  him;  but  he  found 
only  an  old  cheese,  which  he  pocketed,  and  remarking 
a  bird  before  the  door  which  was  entangled  in  the  bushes, 
he  caught  it,  and  put  that  in  his  pocket  also.  Directly 
after  he  set  out  bravely  on  his  travels;  and,  as  he  was 
light  and  active,  he  felt  no  weariness.  His  road  led  him 
up  a  hill,  and  when  he  reached  the  highest  point  of  it 
he  found  a  great  giant  sitting  there,  who  was  looking 
about  him  very  composedly. 

The  little  tailor,  however,  went  boldly  up,  and  said, 
"  Good  day,  comrade ;  in  faith  you  sit  there  and  see  the 
whole  world  stretched  below  you.  I  am  also  on  my 
road  thither  to  try  my  luck.  Have  you  a  mind  to  go 
with  me?  " 

The  giant  looked  contemptuously  at  the  little  tailor, 
and  said,  "  You  vagabond;  you  miserable  fellow!  " 

"  That  may  be,"  replied  the  tailor ;  "  but  here  you 
may  read  what  sort  of  a  man  I  am";  and,  unbuttoning 
his  coat,  he  showed  the  giant  his  belt.  The  giant  read, 
"Seven  at  one  blow";  and  thinking  they  were  men 
whom  the  tailor  had  slain,  he  conceived  a  little  respect 
for  him.  Still  he  wished  to  prove  him  first;  so  taking 
up  a  stone,  he  squeezed  it  in  his  hand,  so  that  water 
dropped  out  of  it.  "  Do  that  after  me,"  said  he  to  the 
other,  "  if  you  have  any  strength." 

177 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

"  If  it  be  nothing  worse  than  that,"  said  the  tailor, 
"that's  play  to  me."  And,  diving  into  his  pocket,  he 
brought  out  the  cheese,  and  squeezed  it  till  the  whey 
ran  out  of  it,  and  said,  "Now,  I  think,  that's  a  little 
better." 

The  giant  did  not  know  what  to  say,  and  could  not 
believe  it  of  the  little  man ;  so,  taking  up  another  stone,  he 
threw  it  so  high  that  one  could  scarcely  see  it  with  the  eye, 
saying,  "  There,  you  manikin,  do  that  after  me." 

"Well  done,"  said  the  tailor;  "but  your  stone  must 
fall  down  again  to  the  ground.  I  will  throw  one  up 
which  shall  not  come  back " ;  and,  dipping  into  his 
pocket,  he  took  out  the  bird  and  threw  it  into  the  air. 
The  bird,  rejoicing  in  its  freedom,  flew  straight  up,  and 
then  far  away,  and  did  not  return.  "  How  does  that 
little  affair  please  you,  comrade?  "  asked  the  tailor. 

"You  can  throw  well,  certainly,"  replied  the  giant; 
"  now  let  us  see  if  you  are  in  trim  to  carry  something 
out  of  the  common."  So  saying,  he  led  him  to  a  huge 
oak  tree,  which  lay  upon  the  ground,  and  said,  "  If  you 
are  strong  enough,  just  help  me  to  carry  this  tree  out  of 
the  forest." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  replied  the  tailor;  "do  you 
take  the  trunk  upon  your  shoulder,  and  I  will  raise  the 
boughs  and  branches  which  are  the  heaviest,  and  carry 
them." 

[The  giant  took  the  trunk  upon  his  shoulder,  but  the 

178 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

tailor  placed  himself  on  the  branch,  so  that  the  giant, 
who  was  not  able  to  look  round,  was  forced  to  carry  the 
whole  tree  and  the  tailor  besides.  He,  being  behind, 
was  very  merry,  and  chuckled  at  the  trick,  and  presently 
began  to  whistle  the  song,  "  There  rode  three  tailors  out 
at  the  gate,"  as  if  the  carrying  of  trees  were  child's  play. 
The  giant,  after  he  had  staggered  along  a  short  distance 
with  his  heavy  burden,  could  go  no  further,  and  shouted 
out,  "  Do  you  hear?  I  must  let  the  tree  fall."  The 
tailor,  springing  down,  quickly  embraced  the  tree  with 
both  arms,  as  if  he  had  been  carrying  it,  and  said  to  the 
giant,  "  Are  you  such  a  big  fellow,  and  yet  cannot  you 
carry  this  tree  by  yourself?  " 

Then  they  journeyed  on  further,  and  as  they  came 
to  a  cherry  tree,  the  giant  seized  the  top  of  the  tree 
where  the  ripest  fruits  hung,  and,  bending  it  down,  gave 
it  to  the  tailor  to  hold,  bidding  him  eat.  But  the  tailor 
was  much  too  weak  to  hold  the  tree  down,  and  when 
the  giant  let  go,  the  tree  flew  up  into  the  air,  and  the 
tailor  was  carried  with  it.  He  came  down  on  the  other 
side,  however,  without  injury,  and  the  giant  said,  "  What 
does  that  mean?  Have  you  not  strength  enough  to  hold 
that  twig?  "  "  My  strength  did  not  fail  me,"  replied  the 
tailor;  "  do  you  suppose  that  that  was  any  hard  thing  for 
one  who  has  killed  seven  at  one  blow?  I  have  sprung 
over  the  tree  because  the  hunters  were  shooting  below 
there  in  the  thicket.  Spring  after  me  if  you  can."  The 

179 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

giant  made  the  attempt,  but  could  not  clear  the  tree,  and 
stuck  fast  in  the  branches;  so  that  in  this  affair,  too,  the 
tailor  was  the  better  man. 

After  this  the  giant  said,  "  Since  you  are  such  a 
valiant  fellow,  come  with  me  to  our  house,  and  stop  a 
night  with  us."  The  tailor  consented,  and  followed 
him;  and  when  they  entered  the  cave,  there  sat  by  the 
fire  two  other  giants,  each  having  a  roast  sheep  in  his 
hand,  of  which  he  was  eating.  The  tailor  sat  down 
thinking,  "  Ah,  this  is  much  more  like  the  world  than 
is  my  workshop."  And  soon  the  giant  showed  him  a 
bed  where  he  might  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep.  The  bed, 
however,  was  too  big  for  him,  so  he  slipped  out  of  it, 
and  crept  into  a  corner.  When  midnight  came,  and  the 
giant  thought  the  tailor  would  be  in  a  deep  sleep,  he 
got  up,  and,  taking  a  great  iron  bar,  beat  the  bed  right 
through  at  one  stroke,  and  supposed  he  had  thereby 
given  the  tailor  his  death-blow.  At  the  earliest  dawn 
of  morning  the  giants  went  forth  into  the  forest,  quite 
forgetting  the  tailor,  when  presently  up  he  came,  quite 
merry,  and  showed  himself  before  them.  The  giants 
were  terrified,  and,  fearing  he  would  kill  them  all,  they 
ran  away  in  great  haste. 

The  tailor  journeyed  on,  always  following  his  nose, 
and  after  he  had  wandered  some  long  distance,  he  came 
into  the  courtyard  of  a  royal  palace ;  and  as  he  felt  rather 
tired  he  laid  himself  down  on  the  grass  and  went  to 

1 80 


THE  VALIANT,  LITTLE  TAILOR 

sleep.  Whilst  he  lay  there  the  people  came  and  viewed 
him  on  all  sides,  and  read  upon  his  belt,  "  Seven  at  one 
blow."  "  Ah,"  said  they,  "  what  does  this  great  warrior 
here  in  time  of  peace?  This  must  be  some  mighty 
hero?  "  So  they  went  and  told  the  King,  thinking  that, 
should  war  break  out,  here  was  an  important  and  useful 
man,  whom  one  ought  not  to  part  with  at  any  price. 
The  King  took  counsel,  and  sent  one  of  his  courtiers  to 
the  tailor  to  ask  for  his  fighting  services,  if  he  should  be 
awake.  The  messenger  stopped  at  the  sleeper's  side,  and 
waited  till  he  stretched  out  his  limbs  and  opened  his 
eyes,  and  then  he  laid  before  him  his  message.  "  Solely 
on  that  account  did  I  come  here,"  was  the  reply;  "  I 
am  quite  ready  to  enter  into  the  King's  service."  Then 
he  was  conducted  away  with  great  honour,  and  a  fine 
house  was  appointed  him  to  dwell  in. 

The  courtiers,  however,  became  jealous  of  the  tailor, 
and  wished  he  were  a  thousand  miles  away.  "  What 
will  happen?  "  said  they  to  one  another.  "  If  we  go  to 
battle  with  him,  when  he  strikes  out  seven  will  fall  at 
one  blow,  and  nothing  will  be  left  for  us  to  do."  In 
their  rage  they  came  to  the  resolution  to  resign,  and  they 
went  all  together  to  the  King,  and  asked  his  permission, 
saying,  "  We  are  not  prepared  to  keep  company  with  a 
man  who  kills  seven  at  one  blow."  The  King  was 
grieved  to  lose  all  his  faithful  servants  for  the  sake  of 
one,  and  wished  that  he  had  never  seen  the  tailor,  and 

181 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

would  willingly  have  now  been  rid  of  him.  He  dared 
not,  however,  dismiss  him,  because  he  feared  the  tailor 
would  kill  him  and  all  his  subjects,  and  place  himself 
upon  the  throne.  For  a  long  time  he  deliberated,  till 
at  last  he  came  to  a  decision;  and,  sending  for  the 
tailor,  he  told  him  that,  seeing  he  was  so  great  a  hero, 
he  wished  to  ask  a  favour  of  him.  "  In  a  certain  forest 
in  my  kingdom,"  said  the  King,  "  there  live  two  giants, 
who,  by  murder,  rapine,  fire  and  robbery,  have  com- 
mitted great  havoc,  and  no  one  dares  to  approach  them 
without  perilling  his  own  life.  If  you  overcome  and  kill 
both  these  giants,  I  will  give  you  my  only  daughter  in 
marriage,  and  the  half  of  my  kingdom  for  a  dowry;  a 
hundred  knights  shall  accompany  you,  too,  in  order  to 
render  you  assistance." 

"  Ah,  that  is  something  for  such  a  man  as  I,"  thought 
the  tailor  to  himself;  "a  beautiful  Princess  and  half  a 
kingdom  are  not  offered  to  one  every  day."  "  Oh,  yes," 
he  replied,  "  I  will  soon  manage  these  two  giants,  and  a 
hundred  horsemen  are  not  necessary  for  that  purpose; 
he  who  kills  seven  at  one  blow  need  not  fear  two." 

Thus  talking,  the  little  tailor  set  out,  followed  by 
the  hundred  knights,  to  whom  he  said,  as  soon  as  they 
came  to  the  borders  of  the  forest,  "Do  you  stay  here; 
I  would  rather  meet  these  giants  alone."  Then  he  sprang 
off  into  the  forest,  peering  about  him  right  and  left;  and 
after  a  while  he  saw  the  two  giants  lying  asleep  under  a 

182 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

tree,  snoring  so  loudly  that  the  branches  above  them 
shook  violently.  The  tailor,  full  of  courage,  filled  both 
his  pockets  with  stones  and  clambered  up  the  tree. 
When  he  got  to  the  middle  of  it  he  crept  along  a 
bough,  so  that  he  sat  just  above  the  sleepers,  and  then  he 
let  fall  one  stone  after  another  upon  the  breast  of  one  of 
them.  For  some  time  the  giant  did  not  stir,  until,  at 
last  awaking,  he  pushed  his  companion,  and  said,  "  Why 
are  you  beating  me?  " 

"You  are  dreaming,"  he  replied;  "I  never  hit  you." 
They  laid  themselves  down  again  to  sleep,  and  presently 
the  tailor  threw  a  stone  down  upon  the  other.  "  What 
is  that? "  he  exclaimed.  "  What  are  you  knocking 
me  for?  " 

"  I  did  not  touch  you ;  you  must  dream,"  replied 
the  first.  So  they  wrangled  for  a  few  minutes;  but, 
being  both  very  tired  with  their  day's  work,  they  soon 
fell  asleep  again.  Then  the  tailor  began  his  sport  again, 
and,  picking  out  the  biggest  stone,  threw  it  with  all  his 
force  upon  the  breast  of  the  first  giant.  "  That  is  too 
bad!  "  he  exclaimed;  and,  springing  up  like  a  madman, 
he  fell  upon  his  companion,  who,  feeling  himself  equally 
aggrieved,  they  set  to  in  such  good  earnest,  that  they 
rooted  up  trees  and  beat  one  another  about  until  they 
both  fell  dead  upon  the  ground.  Now  the  tailor  jumped 
down,  saying,  "  What  a  piece  of  luck  they  did  not  up- 
root the  tree  on  which  I  sat,  or  else  I  must  have  jumped 

183 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

on  another  like  a  squirrel,  for  I  am  not  given  to  flying." 
Then  he  drew  his  sword,  and,  cutting  a  deep  wound  in 
the  breast  of  each,  he  went  to  the  horsemen,  and  said, 
"The  deed  is  done;  I  have  given  each  his  death- 
stroke;  but  it  was  a  hard  job,  for  in  their  necessity  they 
uprooted  trees  to  defend  themselves  with;  still,  all  that 
is  of  no  use  when  such  an  one  as  I  come,  who  killed 
seven  at  one  stroke." 

"  Are  you  not  wounded,  then?  "  asked  they. 

"That  is  not  to  be  expected;  they  have  not  touched 
a  hair  of  my  head,"  replied  the  little  man.  The  knights 
could  scarcely  believe  him,  till,  riding  away  into  the 
forest,  they  found  the  giants  lying  in  their  blood  and 
the  uprooted  trees  around  them. 

Now  the  tailor  demanded  his  promised  reward  of 
the  King;  but  he  repented  of  his  promise,  and  began  to 
think  of  some  new  scheme  to  get  rid  of  the  hero.  "  Be- 
fore you  receive  my  daughter  and  the  half  of  my 
kingdom,"  said  he  to  him,  "you  must  perform  one 
other  heroic  deed.  In  the  forest  there  runs  wild  a 
unicorn,  which  commits  great  havoc,  and  which  you 
must  first  of  all  catch." 

"  I  fear  still  less  for  a  unicorn  than  I  do  for  two 
giants!  Seven  at  one  blow!  that  is  my  motto,"  said  the 
tailor.  Then  he  took  with  him  a  rope  and  an  axe  and 
went  away  to  the  forest,  bidding  those  who  were  ordered 
to  accompany  him  to  wait  on  the  outskirts.  He  had 

184 


& 

' 

-          '      '? 

J        I  **t  * 


unicorn,  rushing  against  the  tree, 
fixed  its  horn  so  fast  in  the  trunk  that 
it  could  not  draw  it  out. 


SEE  PAGE  187. 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

not  to  search  long,  for  presently  the  unicorn  came  near 
and  prepared  to  rush  at  him  as  if  it  would  pierce  him  on 
the  spot.  "Softly,  softly!"  he  exclaimed;  "that  is  not 
done  so  easily";  and,  waiting  till  the  animal  was  close 
upon  him,  he  sprang  nimbly  behind  a  tree.  The  unicorn, 
rushing  with  all  its  force  against  the  tree,  fixed  its  horn 
so  fast  in  the  trunk,  that  it  could  not  draw  it  out  again, 
and  so  it  was  made  prisoner.  "  Now  I  have  got  my 
bird,"  said  the  tailor;  and,  coming  from  behind  the  tree, 
he  first  bound  the  rope  around  its  neck,  and  then,  cutting 
the  horn  out  of  the  tree  with  his  axe,  he  put  all  in  order, 
and,  leading  the  animal,  brought  it  before  the  King. 

The  King,  however,  would  not  yet  deliver  up  the 
promised  reward,  and  made  a  third  request,  that,  before 
the  wedding,  the  tailor  should  catch  a  wild  boar  which 
did  much  injury,  and  he  should  have  the  huntsmen  to 
help  him.  "  With  pleasure,"  was  the  reply,  "  it  is  mere 
child's  play."  The  huntsmen,  however,  he  left  behind, 
to  their  entire  content,  for  this  wild  boar  had  already  so 
often  hunted  them  that  they  had  no  pleasure  in  hunting 
it.  As  soon  as  the  boar  perceived  the  tailor,  it  ran  at 
him  with  gaping  mouth  and  glistening  teeth,  and  tried 
to  throw  him  on  the  ground;  but  our  flying  hero  sprang 
into  a  little  chapel  which  was  near,  and  out  again  at  a 
window  on  the  other  side  in  a  trice.  The  boar  ran  after 
him,  but  he,  skipping  round,  shut  the  door  behind  it, 
and  there  the  raging  beast  was  caught,  for  it  was  much 

187 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

too  unwieldy  and  heavy  to  jump  out  of  the  window. 
The  tailor  now  called  the  huntsmen  up,  that  they  might 
see  his  prisoner  with  their  own  eyes;  but  our  hero  pre- 
sented himself  before  the  King,  who  was  compelled 
now,  whether  he  would  or  no,  to  keep  his  promise,  and 
surrender  his  daughter  and  the  half  of  his  kingdom. 

Had  he  known  that  it  was  no  warrior,  but  only  a 
tailor,  who  stood  before  him,  it  would  have  gone  to  his 
heart  still  more ! 

So  the  wedding  was  celebrated  with  great  splendour, 
though  with  little  rejoicing,  and  out  of  a  tailor  was  made 
a  King. 

Some  little  while  afterwards  the  young  Queen  heard 
her  husband  talking  in  his  sleep,  and  saying,  "  Boy,  make 
me  a  waistcoat,  and  stitch  up  these  trousers,  or  I  will  lay 
the  yard  measure  over  your  ears ! "  Then  she  remarked 
of  what  condition  her  lord  was,  and  complained  in  the 
morning  to  her  father,  and  begged  he  would  deliver  her 
from  her  husband,  who  was  nothing  else  than  a  tailor. 
The  King  comforted  her  by  saying,  "  This  night  leave 
your  chamber  door  open;  my  servants  shall  stand  with- 
out, and  when  he  is  asleep  they  shall  enter,  bind  him, 
and  bear  him  away  to  a  ship,  which  shall  carry  him  forth 
into  the  wide  world."  The  wife  was  contented  with  his 
proposal;  but  the  King's  armour  bearer,  who  had  over- 
heard all,  went  to  the  young  King  and  disclosed  the 
whole  plot.  "  I  will  shoot  a  bolt  upon  this  affair,"  said 

188 


THE  VALIANT  LITTLE  TAILOR 

the  brave  tailor.  In  the  evening  at  their  usual  time  they 
went  to  bed,  and  when  his  wife  believed  he  slept  she  got 
up,  opened  the  door,  and  laid  herself  down  again.  The 
tailor,  however,  only  feigned  to  be  asleep,  and  began  to 
exclaim  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Boy,  make  me  this  waistcoat 
and  stitch  up  these  trousers,  or  I  will  beat  the  yard 
measure  about  your  ears!  Seven  have  I  killed  with  one 
blow,  two  giants  have  I  slain,  a  unicorn  have  I  led 
captive,  and  a  wild  boar  have  I  caught,  and  shall  I 
be  afraid  of  those  who  stand  without  my  chamber? " 
When  the  men  heard  these  words  spoken  by  the  tailor, 
a  great  fear  overcame  them,  and  they  ran  away  as  if 
the  wild  huntsmen  were  behind  them;  neither  after- 
wards durst  any  man  venture  to  oppose  him.  Thus 
became  the  tailor  a  King,  and  so  he  remained  the  rest 
of  his  days. 


189 


ROLAND 


ROLAND 


NCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  real 
old  witch  who  had  two  daughters, 
one  ugly  and  wicked,  whom  she 
loved  very  much,  because  she  was 
her  own  child;  and  the  other  fair 
and  good,  whom  she  hated,  because 
she  was  her  stepdaughter.  One 
day  the  stepchild  wore  a  very  pretty 
apron,  which  so  pleased  the  other  that  she  turned  jealous, 
and  told  her  mother  she  must  and  would  have  the  apron. 
"  Be  quiet,  my  child,"  said  she,  "you  shall  have  it;  your 
sister  has  long  deserved  death.  To-night,  when  she  is 
asleep,  I  will  come  and  cut  off  her  head;  but  take  care 
that  you  lie  nearest  the  wall,  and  push  her  quite  to  the 
side  of  the  bed." 

Luckily  the  poor  maiden,  hid  in  a  corner,  heard  this 
speech,  or  she  would  have  been  murdered;  but  all  day 
long  she  dared  not  go  out  of  doors,  and  when  bedtime 
came  she  was  forced  to  lie  in  the  place  fixed  for  her: 
but  happily  the  other  sister  soon  went  to  sleep,  and  then 
she  contrived  to  change  places  and  get  quite  close  to  the 
wall.  At  midnight  the  old  witch  sneaked  in,  holding  in 
her  right  hand  an  axe,  while  with  her  left  she  felt  for  her 


ROLAND 

intended  victim;  and  then  raising  the  axe  in  both  her 
hands,  she  chopped  off  the  head  of  her  own  daughter. 

As  soon  as  she  went  away,  the  maiden  got  up  and 
went  to  her  sweetheart,  who  was  called  Roland,  and 
knocked  at  his  door.  When  he  came  out  she  said  to  him, 
"  Dearest  Roland,  we  must  flee  at  once;  my  stepmother 
would  have  killed  me,  but  in  the  dark  she  has  murdered 
her  own  child;  if  day  comes,  and  she  discovers  what  she 
has  done,  we  are  lost !  " 

"  But  I  advise  you,"  said  Roland,  "  first  to  take  away 
her  magic  wand,  or  we  cannot  save  ourselves  if  she  should 
follow  and  catch  us." 

So  the  maiden  stole  away  the  wand,  and  taking  up 
the  head  dropped  three  drops  of  blood  upon  the  ground: 
one  before  the  bed,  one  in  the  kitchen,  and  one  upon  the 
step;  this  done,  she  replaced  the  head  and  hurried  away 
with  her  lover. 

When  the  morning  came  and  the  old  witch  had 
dressed  herself,  she  called  to  her  daughter  and  would 
have  given  her  the  apron,  but  no  one  came.  '  Where 
are  you?  "  she  called.  "  Here  upon  the  step,"  answered 
one  of  the  drops  of  blood.  The  old  woman  went  out, 
but  seeing  nobody  on  the  step,  she  called  a  second  time, 
"Where  are  you?"  "Hi,  hi,  here,  in  the  kitchen;  I 
am  warming  myself,"  replied  the  second  drop  of  blood. 
She  went  into  the  kitchen,  but  could  see  nobody;  and 
once  again  she  cried,  "  Where  are  you?  " 

194 


ROLAND 

"Ah!  here  I  sleep  in  the  bed,"  said  the  third  drop; 
and  she  entered  the  room,  but  what  a  sight  met  her  eyes! 
There  lay  her  own  child  covered  with  blood,  for  she 
herself  had  cut  off  her  head. 

The  old  witch  flew  into  a  terrible  passion,  sprang 
out  of  the  window,  and  looking  far  and  near,  presently 
spied  out  her  stepdaughter,  who  was  hurrying  away  with 
Roland.  "That  won't  help  you!"  she  shouted;  "were 
you  twice  as  far,  you  should  not  escape  me."  So  say- 
ing, she  drew  on  her  boots,  in  which  she  went  an  hour's 
walk  with  every  stride,  and  before  long  she  overtook  the 
fugitives.  But  the  maiden,  as  soon  as  she  saw  the  witch 
in  sight,  changed  her  dear  Roland  into  a  lake  with  the 
magic  wand,  and  herself  into  a  duck  who  could  swim 
upon  its  surface.  When  the  old  witch  arrived  at  the 
shore,  she  threw  in  bread  crumbs,  and  tried  all  sorts  of 
means  to  entice  the  duck;  but  it  was  all  of  no  use,  and 
she  was  obliged  to  go  away  at  evening  without  accom- 
plishing her  ends.  When  she  was  gone  the  maiden  took 
her  natural  form,  and  Roland  also,  and  all  night  long 
till  daybreak  they  travelled  onwards.  Then  the  maiden 
changed  herself  into  a  rose,  which  grew  amid  a  very 
thorny  hedge,  and  Roland  became  a  fiddler.  Soon  after 
up  came  the  old  witch,  and  said  to  him,  "  Good  player, 
may  I  break  off  your  flower?"  "Oh!  yes,"  he  replied, 
"  and  I  will  accompany  you  with  a  tune."  In  great 
haste  she  climbed  up  the  bank  to  reach  the  flower,  and 


ROLAND 

as  soon  as  she  was  in  the  hedge  he  began  to  play,  and, 
whether  she  liked  it  or  not,  she  was  obliged  to  dance  to 
the  music,  for  it  was  a  bewitched  tune.  The  quicker 
he  played,  the  higher  was  she  obliged  to  jump,  till  the 
thorns  tore  all  the  clothes  off  her  body,  and  scratched  and 
wounded  her  so  much  that  at  last  she  fell  down  dead. 

Then  Roland,  when  he  saw  they  were  saved, 
said,  "  Now.  I  will  go  to  my  father,  and  arrange  the 
wedding." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  maiden,  "  and  meanwhile  I  will  rest 
here,  and  wait  for  your  return,  and,  that  no  one  may 
know  me,  I  will  change  myself  into  a  red  stone." 

Roland  went  away  and  left  her  there,  but  when  he 
reached  home  he  fell  into  the  snares  laid  for  him  by 
another  maiden,  and  forgot  his  true  love,  who  for  a  long 
time  waited  his  coming;  but  at  last,  in  sorrow  and 
despair  of  ever  seeing  him  again,  she  changed  herself 
into  a  beautiful  flower,  and  thought  that  perhaps  some 
one  might  pluck  her  and  carry  her  to  his  home. 

A  day  or  two  after  a  shepherd,  who  was  tending  his 
flock  in  the  field,  chanced  to  see  the  enchanted  flower; 
and  because  it  was  so  very  beautiful  he  broke  it  off,  took 
it  with  him,  and  laid  it  by  in  his  chest.  From  that 
day  everything  prospered  in  the  shepherd's  house,  and 
marvellous  things  happened.  When  he  arose  in  the 
morning  he  found  all  the  work  already  done;  the  room 
was  swept,  the  chairs  and  tables  dusted,  the  fire  lighted 

196 


Bff 


From   that  day   everything  prospered 
In  the  shepherd's  house. 


SEE  PAGE  196. 


ROLAND 

upon  the  hearth,  and  the  water  fetched;  when  he  came 
home  at  noonday  the  table  was  laid,  and  a  good  meal 
prepared  for  him.  He  could  not  imagine  how  it  was  all 
done,  for  he  could  find  nobody  ever  in  his  house  when 
he  returned,  and  there  was  no  place  for  any  one  to  con- 
ceal himself.  The  good  arrangements  certainly  pleased 
him  well  enough,  but  he  became  so  anxious  at  last  to 
know  who  it  was,  that  he  went  and  asked  the  advice 
of  a  wise  woman.  The  woman  said,  "  There  is  some 
witchery  in  the  business;  listen  one  morning  if  you  can 
hear  anything  moving  in  the  room,  and  if  you  do  and 
can  see  anything,  be  it  what  it  will,  throw  a  white  napkin 
over  it,  and  the  charm  will  be  dispelled." 

The  shepherd  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing, just  as  day  broke,  he  saw  his  chest  open  and  the 
flower  come  out  of  it.  He  instantly  sprang  up  and  threw 
a  white  napkin  over  it,  and  immediately  the  spell  was 
broken,  and  a  beautiful  maiden  stood  before  him,  who 
acknowledged  that  she  was  the  handmaid  who,  as  a 
flower,  had  put  his  house  in  order.  She  told  him  her 
tale,  and  she  pleased  the  shepherd  so  much,  that  he  asked 
her  if  she  would  marry  him,  but  she  said,  "  No,"  for  she 
would  still  keep  true  to  her  dear  Roland,  although  he 
had  left  her;  nevertheless,  she  promised  still  to  remain 
with  the  shepherd,  and  see  after  his  cottage. 

Meanwhile,  the  time  had  arrived  for  the  celebration 
of  Roland's  wedding,  and,  according  to  the  old  custom, 

199 


ROLAND 

it  was  proclaimed  through  all  the  country  round,  that 
every  maiden  might  assemble  to  sing  in  honour  of  the 
bridal  pair.  When  the  poor  girl  heard  this,  she  was  so 
grieved  that  it  seemed  as  if  her  heart  would  break,  and 
she  would  not  have  gone  to  the  wedding  if  others  had 
not  come  and  taken  her  with  them. 

When  it  came  to  her  turn  to  sing,  she  stepped  back 
till  she  was  quite  by  herself,  and  as  soon  as  she  began, 
Roland  jumped  up,  exclaiming,  "  I  know  the  voice !  that 
is  my  true  bride !  no  other  will  I  have ! "  All  that  he 
had  hitherto  forgotten  and  neglected  to  think  of  was 
suddenly  brought  back  to  his  heart's  remembrance,  and 
he  would  not  again  let  her  go. 

And  now  the  wedding  of  the  faithful  maiden  to  her 
dear  Roland  was  celebrated  with  great  magnificence; 
and  their  sorrows  and  troubles  being  over,  happiness 
became  their  lot. 


200 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 


LONG  while  ago,  perhaps  as  much 
as  two  thousand  years,  there  was  a 
rich  man  who  had  a  wife  of  whom 
he  was  very  fond;  but  they  had  no 
children.  Now  in  the  garden,  be- 
fore the  house  where  they  lived, 
there  stood  a  juniper  tree;  and  one 
winter's  day  as  the  lady  was  stand- 
ing under  the  juniper  tree,  paring  an  apple,  she  cut  her 
finger,  and  the  drops  of  blood  trickled  down  upon  the 
snow.  "  Ah !  "  said  she,  sighing  deeply  and  looking  down 
upon  the  blood,  "  how  happy  should  I  be  if  I  had  a  little 
child  as  white  as  snow  and  as  red  as  blood !  "  And  as  she 
was  saying  this,  she  grew  quite  cheerful,  and  was  sure 
her  wish  would  be  fulfilled.  And  after  a  little  time  the 
snow  went  away,  and  soon  afterwards  the  fields  began 
to  look  green.  Next  the  spring  came,  and  the  meadows 
were  dressed  with  flowers;  the  trees  put  forth  their  green 
leaves;  the  young  branches  shed  their  blossoms  upon  the 
ground;  and  the  little  birds  sang  through  the  groves. 
And  then  came  summer,  and  the  sweet-smelling  flowers 
of  the  juniper  tree  began  to  unfold;  and  the  lady's  heart 
leaped  within  her,  and  she  fell  on  her  knees  for  joy. 


203 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

But  when  autumn  drew  near,  the  fruit  was  thick  upon 
the  trees.  Then  the  lady  plucked  the  red  berries  from 
the  juniper  tree,  and  looked  sad  and  sorrowful;  and  she 
called  her  husband  to  her,  and  said,  "  If  I  die,  bury  me 
under  the  juniper  tree."  Not  long  after  this  a  pretty 
little  child  was  born;  it  was,  as  the  lady  wished,  as  red 
as  blood,  and  as  white  as  snow;  and  as  soon  as  she  had 
looked  upon  it,  her  joy  overcame  her,  and  she  fainted 
away  and  died. 

Then  her  husband  buried  her  under  the  juniper  tree, 
and  wept  and  mourned  over  her;  but  after  a  little  while 
he  grew  better,  and  at  length  dried  up  his  tears,  and 
married  another  wife. 

Time  passed  on,  and  he  had  a  daughter  born;  but 
the  child  of  his  first  wife,  that  was  as  red  as  blood,  and 
as  white  as  snow,  was  a  little  boy.  The  mother  loved 
her  daughter  very  much,  but  hated  the  little  boy,  and 
bethought  herself  how  she  might  get  all  her  husband's 
money  for  her  own  child;  so  she  used  the  poor  fellow 
very  harshly,  and  was  always  pushing  him  about  from 
one  corner  of  the  house  to  another,  and  thumping  him 
one  while  and  pinching  him  another,  so  that  he  was  for 
ever  in  fear  of  her,  and  when  he  came  home  from 
school  could  never  find  a  place  in  the  house  to  play  in. 

Now  it  happened  that  once  when  the  mother  was 
going  into  her  storeroom,  the  little  girl  came  up  to 
her,  and  said,  "  Mother,  may  I  have  an  apple?  "  "  Yes, 

204 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

my  dear,"  said  she,  and  gave  her  a  nice  rosy  apple  out 
of  the  chest.  Now  you  must  know  that  this  chest  had 
a  very  thick  heavy  lid,  with  a  great  sharp  iron  lock  upon 
it.  "  Mother,"  said  the  little  girl,  "  pray  give  me  one 
for  my  little  brother  too."  Her  mother  did  not  much 
like  this;  however,  she  said,  "Yes,  my  child;  when  he 
comes  from  school,  he  shall  have  one  too."  As  she  was 
speaking,  she  looked  out  of  the  window  and  saw  the 
little  boy  coming;  so  she  took  the  apple  from  her 
daughter,  and  threw  it  back  into  the  chest  and  shut  the 
lid,  telling  her  that  she  should  have  it  again  when  her 
brother  came  home.  When  the  little  boy  came  to  the 
door,  this  wicked  woman  said  to  him  with  a  kind  voice, 
"  Come  in,  my  dear,  and  I  will  give  you  an  apple." 
"How  kind  you  are,  mother!'1'  said  the  little  boy;  "I 
should  like  to  have  an  apple  very  much."  "  Well,  come 
with  me  then,"  said  she.  So  she  took  him  into  the  store- 
room and  lifted  up  the  cover  of  the  chest,  and  said, 
"There,  take  one  out  yourself";  and  then,  as  the  little 
boy  stooped  down  to  reach  one  of  the  apples  out  of  the 
chest,  bang!  she  let  the  lid  fall,  so  hard  that  his  head  fell 
off  amongst  the  apples.  When  she  found  what  she  had 
done,  she  was  very  much  frightened,  and  did  not  know 
how  she  should  get  the  blame  off  her  shoulders.  How- 
ever, she  went  into  her  bedroom,  and  took  a  white 
handkerchief  out  of  a  drawer,  and  then  fitted  the  little 
boy's  head  upon  his  neck,  and  tied  the  handkerchief 

205 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

round  it,  so  that  no  one  could  see  what  had  happened, 
and  seated  him  on  a  stool  before  the  door  with  the  apple 
in  his  hand. 

Soon  afterwards  Margery  came  into  the  kitchen  to 
her  mother,  who  was  standing  by  the  fire,  and  stirring 
about  some  hot  water  in  a  pot.  "  Mother,"  said  Margery, 
"  my  brother  is  sitting  before  the  door  with  an  apple  in 
his  hand;  I  asked  him  to  give  it  me,  but  he  did  not  say 
a  word,  and  looked  so  pale,  that  I  was  quite  frightened." 
"Nonsense!"  said  her  mother;  "go  back  again,  and  if 
he  won't  answer  you,  give  him  a  good  box  on  the  ear." 
Margery  went  back,  and  said,  "  Brother,  give  me  that 
apple."  But  he  answered  not  a  word;  so  she  gave  him 
a  box  on  the  ear;  and  immediately  his  head  fell  off. 
At  this,  you  may  be  sure  she  was  sadly  frightened,  and  ran 
screaming  out  to  her  mother,  that  she  had  knocked  off 
her  brother's  head,  and  cried  as  if  her  heart  would  break. 
"O  Margery!"  said  her  mother,  "what  have  you  been 
doing?  However,  what  is  done  cannot  be  undone;  so 
we  had  better  put  him  out  of  the  way,  and  say  nothing 
to  any  one  about  it." 

When  the  father  came  home  to  dinner,  he  said, 
"  Where  is  my  little  boy?  "  And  his  wife  said  nothing, 
but  put  a  large  dish  of  black  soup  upon  the  table;  and 
Margery  wept  bitterly  all  the  time,  and  could  not  hold  up 
her  head.  And  the  father  asked  after  his  little  boy  again. 
"  Oh! "  said  his  wife,  "  I  should  think  he  is  gone  to  his 

206 


A  kind  of  cloud  came  from  the  tree, 
and  in  the  middle  was  a  burning  fire, 
and  out  of  the  fire  came  a  pretty  bird. 


SEE  PAGE  209. 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

uncle's."  "  What  business  could  he  have  to  go  away 
without  bidding  me  good-bye? "  said  his  father.  "  I 
know  he  wished  very  much  to  go,"  said  the  woman; 
"  and  begged  me  to  let  him  stay  there  some  time ;  he 
will  be  well  taken  care  of  there."  "  Ah !  "  said  the  father, 
"I  don't  like  that;  he  ought  not  to  have  gone  away 
without  wishing  me  good-bye."  And  with  that  he 
began  to  eat;  but  he  seemed  still  sorrowful  about  his 
son,  and  said,  "  Margery,  what  do  you  cry  so  for?  your 
brother  will  come  back  again,  I  hope."  But  Margery 
by  and  by  slipped  out  of  the  room  and  went  to  her 
drawers  and  took  her  best  silk  handkerchief  out  of  them, 
and  tying  it  round  her  little  brother's  bones,  carried  them 
out  of  the  house,  weeping  bitterly  all  the  while,  and  laid 
them  under  the  juniper  tree;  and  as  soon  as  she  had 
done  this,  her  heart  felt  lighter,  and  she  left  off  crying. 
Then  the  juniper  tree  began  to  move  itself  backwards 
and  forwards,  and  to  stretch  its  branches  out,  one  from 
another,  and  then  bring  them  together  again,  just  like 
a  person  clapping  hands  for  joy:  and  after  this,  a  kind 
of  cloud  came  from  the  tree,  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
cloud  was  a  burning  fire,  and  out  of  the  fire  came  a 
pretty  bird,  that  flew  away  into  the  air,  singing  merrily. 
And  as  soon  as  the  bird  was  gone,  the  handkerchief  and 
the  little  boy  were  gone  too,  and  the  tree  looked  just  as 
it  had  done  before;  but  Margery  felt  quite  happy  and 
joyful  within  herself,  just  as  if  she  had  known  that  her 

209 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

brother  had  been  alive  again,  and  went  into  the  house 
and  ate  her  dinner. 

But  the  bird  flew  away,  and  perched  upon  the  roof 
of  a  goldsmith's  house,  and  sang : 

"  My  mother  slew  her  little  son; 
My  father  thought  me  lost  and  gone: 
But  pretty  Margery  pitied  me, 
And  laid  me  under  the  juniper  tree; 
And  now  I  rove  so  merrily, 
As  over  the  hills  and  dales  I  fly: 
O  what  a  fine  bird  am  I !  " 

The  goldsmith  was  sitting  in  his  shop  finishing  a 
gold  chain;  and  when  he  heard  the  bird  singing  on  the 
house-top,  he  started  up  so  suddenly  that  one  of  his 
shoes  slipped  off;  however,  without  stopping  to  put  it 
on  again,  he  ran  out  into  the  street  with  his  apron  on, 
holding  his  pincers  in  one  hand,  and  the  gold  chain  in 
the  other.  And  when  he  saw  the  bird  sitting  on  the 
roof  with  the  sun  shining  on  its  bright  feathers,  he  said, 
"  How  sweetly  you  sing,  my  pretty  bird !  pray  sing  that 
song  again."  "  No,"  said  the  bird,  "  I  can't  sing  twice 
for  nothing;  if  you  will  give  me  that  gold  chain,  I'll 
try  what  I  can  do."  "There,"  said  the  goldsmith, 
"  take  the  chain,  only  pray  sing  that  song  again."  So 
the  bird  flew  down,  and  taking  the  chain  in  his  right 
claw,  perched  a  little  nearer  to  the  goldsmith,  and  sang: 

"  My  mother  slew  her  little  son ; 
My  father  thought  me  lost  and  gone: 

210 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

But  pretty  Margery  pitied  me, 
And  laid  me  under  the  juniper  tree; 
And  now  I  rove  so  merrily, 
As  over  the  hills  and  dales  I  fly: 
O  what  a  fine  bird  am  I !  " 

After  that  the  bird  flew  away  to  a  shoemaker's,  and 
sitting  upon  the  roof  of  the  house,  sang  the  same  song 
as  it  had  done  before. 

When  the  shoemaker  heard  the  song,  he  ran  to  the 
door  without  his  coat,  and  looked  up  to  the  top  of  the 
house;  but  he  was  obliged  to  hold  his  hand  before  his 
eyes,  because  the  sun  shone  so  brightly.  "  Bird,"  said 
he,  "  how  sweetly  you  sing !  "  Then  he  called  into  the 
house,  "  Wife !  wife !  come  out  here,  and  see  what  a 
pretty  bird  is  singing  on  the  top  of  our  house !  "  And 
he  called  out  his  children  and  workmen;  and  they  all 
ran  out  and  stood  gazing  at  the  bird,  with  its  beautiful 
red  and  green  feathers,  and  the  bright  golden  ring  about 
its  neck,  and  eyes  which  glittered  like  the  stars.  "  O 
bird ! "  said  the  shoemaker,  "  pray  sing  that  song  again." 
"No,"  said  the  bird,  "I  cannot  sing  twice  for  nothing; 
you  must  give  me  something  if  I  do."  "  Wife,"  said  the 
shoemaker,  "  run  upstairs  into  the  workshop,  and  bring 
me  down  the  best  pair  of  new  red  shoes  you  can  find." 
So  his  wife  ran  and  fetched  them.  "  Here,  my  pretty  bird," 
said  the  shoemaker,  "  take  these  shoes ;  but  pray  sing  that 
song  again."  The  bird  came  down,  and  taking  the  shoes 
in  his  left  claw,  flew  up  again  to  the  house-top,  and  sang: 

211 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

"  My  mother  slew  her  little  son ; 
My  father  thought  me  lost  and  gone: 
But  pretty  Margery  pitied  me, 
And  laid  me  under  the  juniper  tree; 
And  now  I  rove  so  merrily, 
As  over  the  hills  and  dales  I  fly: 
O  what  a  fine  bird  am  I ! " 

And  when  he  had  done  singing,  he  flew  away, 
holding  the  shoes  in  one  claw  and  the  chain  in  the 
other.  And  he  flew  a  long,  long  way  off,  till  at  last 
he  came  to  a  mill.  The  mill  was  going  clipper !  clapper ! 
clipper!  clapper!  and  in  the  mill  were  twenty  millers, 
who  were  all  hard  at  work  hewing  a  millstone;  and  the 
millers  hewed,  hick!  hack!  hick!  hack!  and  the  mill 
went  on,  clipper !  clapper !  clipper !  clapper ! 

So  the  bird  perched  upon  a  linden  tree  close  by  the 
mill,  and  began  its  song : 

"  My  mother  slew  her  little  son ;  6 

My  father  thought  me  lost  and  gone :  " 

here  two  of  the  millers  left  off  their  work  and  listened: 

"  But  pretty  Margery  pitied  me, 
And  laid  me  under  the  juniper  tree;" 

now   all  the  millers  but  one  looked  up   and   left  their 
work: 

"  And  now  I  rove  so  merrily, 
As  over  the  hills  and  dales  I  fly: 
O  what  a  fine  bird  am  I !  " 

Just  as  the  song  was  ended,  the  last  miller  heard  it, 
and  started  up,  and  said,  "  O  bird !  how  sweetly  you 

212 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

sing!  do  let  me  hear  the  whole  of  that  song;  pray,  sing 
it  again !  "  "  No,"  said  the  bird,  "  I  cannot  sing  twice  for 
nothing;  give  me  that  millstone,  and  I'll  sing  again." 
"  Why,"  said  the  man,  "  the  millstone  does  not  belong 
to  me;  if  it  was  all  mine,  you  should  have  it  and  wel- 
come." "  Come,"  said  the  other  millers,  "  if  he  will 
only  sing  that  song  again,  he  shall  have  the  millstone." 
Then  the  bird  came  down  from  the  tree:  and  the 
twenty  millers  fetched  long  poles  and  worked,  and 
worked,  heave,  ho!  heave,  ho!  till  at  last  they  raised 
the  millstone  on  its  side;  and  then  the  bird  put  its  head 
through  the  hole  in  the  middle  of  it,  and  flew  away  to  the 
linden  tree,  and  sang  the  same  song  as  it  had  done  before. 

And  when  he  had  done,  he  spread  his  wings,  and 
with  the  chain  in  one  claw,  and  the  shoes  in  the  other, 
and  the  millstone  about  his  neck,  he  flew  away  to  his 
father's  house. 

Now  it  happened  that  his  father  and  mother  and 
Margery  were  sitting  together  at  dinner.  His  father 
was  saying,  "  How  light  and  cheerful  I  am ! "  But  his 
mother  said,  "  Oh,  I  am  so  heavy  and  so  sad,  I  feel  just 
as  if  a  great  storm  were  coming  on."  And  Margery  said 
nothing,  but  sat  and  cried.  Just  then  the  bird  came 
flying  along,  and  perched  upon  the  top  of  the  house. 
"Bless  me!"  said  the  father,  "how  cheerful  I  am;  I 
feel  as  if  I  was  about  to  see  an  old  friend  again." 
"  Alas ! "  said  the  mother,  "  I  am  so  sad,  and  my  teeth 

213 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

chatter  so,  and  yet  it  seems  as  if  my  blood  was  all  on 
fire  in  my  veins ! "  and  she  tore  open  her  gown  to  cool 
herself.  And  Margery  sat  by  herself  in  a  corner,  with 
her  plate  on  her  lap  before  her,  and  wept  so  bitterly 
that  she  cried  her  plate  quite  full  of  tears. 

And  the  bird  flew  to  the  top  of  the  juniper  tree  and 
sang: 

"  My  mother  slew  her  little  son ; — " 

Then  the  mother  held  her  ears  with  her  hands,  and 
shut  her  eyes  close,  that  she  might  neither  see  nor  hear; 
but  there  was  a  sound  in  her  ears  like  a  frightful  storm, 
and  her  eyes  burned  and  glared  like  lightning. 

"  My  father  thought  me  lost  and  gone : — " 

"  O  wife ! "  said  the  father,  "  what  a  beautiful  bird  that 
is,  and  how  finely  he  sings;  and  his  feathers  glitter  in 
the  sun  like  so  many  spangles ! " 

"  But  pretty  Margery  pitied  me, 
And  laid  me  under  the  juniper  tree; — " 

At  this  Margery  lifted  up  her  head  and  sobbed  sadly, 
and  her  father  said,  "  I  must  go  out,  and  look  at  that 
bird  a  little  nearer."  "  Oh !  don't  leave  me  alone,"  said 
his  wife ;  "  I  feel  just  as  if  the  house  were  burning." 
However,  he  would  go  out  to  look  at  the  bird;  and  it 
went  on  singing: 

"  But  now  I  rove  so  merrily, 
As  over  the  hills  and  dales  I  fly: 
O  what  a  fine  bird  am  I !  " 

214 


THE  JUNIPER  TREE 

As  soon  as  the  bird  had  done  singing,  he  let  fall  the 
gold  chain  upon  his  father's  neck,  and  it  fitted  so  nicely 
that  he  went  back  into  the  house  and  said,  "  Look  here, 
what  a  beautiful  chain  the  bird  has  given  me;  only  see 
how  grand  it  is !  "  But  his  wife  was  so  frightened  that 
she  fell  all  along  on  the  floor,  so  that  her  cap  flew  off, 
and  she  lay  as  if  she  were  dead.  And  when  the  bird 
began  singing  again,  Margery  said,  "  I  must  go  out  and 
see  whether  the  bird  has  not  something  to  give  me." 
And  just  as  she  was  going  out  of  the  door,  the  bird  let 
fall  the  red  shoes  before  her;  and  when  she  had  put  on 
the  shoes,  she  all  at  once  became  quite  light  and  happy, 
and  jumped  into  the  house  and  said,  "  I  was  so  heavy 
and  sad  when  I  went  out,  and  now  I'm  so  happy!  see 
what  fine  shoes  the  bird  has  given  me ! "  Then  the 
mother  said,  "  Well,  if  the  world  should  fall  to  pieces, 
I  must  go  out  and  try  whether  I  shall  not  be  better  in 
the  air."  And  as  she  was  going  out,  the  bird  let  fall 
the  millstone  upon  her  head  and  crushed  her  to  pieces. 

The  father  and  Margery,  hearing  the  noise,  ran  out, 
and  saw  nothing  but  smoke  and  fire  and  flame  rising  up 
from  the  place;  and  when  this  was  passed  and  gone, 
there  stood  the  little  boy  beside  them;  and  he  took  his 
father  and  Margery  by  the  hand,  and  they  went  into  the 
house,  and  ate  their  dinner  together  very  happily. 


215 


RAPUNZEL 


RAPUNZEL 


NCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  man 
and  his  wife,  who  much  wished  to 
have  a  child,  but  for  a  long  time 
in  vain.  These  people  had  a  little 
window  in  the  back  part  of  their 
house,  out  of  which  one  could  see 
into  a  beautiful  garden  which  was 
full  of  fine  flowers  and  vegetables; 
but  it  was  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  and  no  one  dared 
to  go  in,  because  it  belonged  to  a  witch  who  possessed 
great  power,  and  who  was  feared  by  the  whole  world. 
One  day  the  woman  stood  at  this  window  looking  into 
the  garden,  and  there  she  saw  a  bed  which  was  filled 
with  the  most  beautiful  radishes,  and  which  seemed  so 
fresh  and  green  that  she  felt  quite  glad,  and  a  great 
desire  seized  her  to  eat  of  these  radishes.  This  wish 
tormented  her  daily,  and  as  she  knew  that  she  could 
not  have  them  she  fell  ill,  and  looked  very  pale  and 
miserable.  This  frightened  her  husband,  who  asked 
her,  "  What  ails  you,  my  dear  wife?  " 

"Ah!"'  she  replied,  "if  I  cannot  get  any  of  those 
radishes  to  eat  out  of  the  garden  behind  the  house  I  shall 
die  1 "  The  husband,  loving  her  very  much,  thought, 


219 


RAPUNZEL 

"  Rather  than  let  my  wife  die,  I  must  fetch  her  some 
radishes,  cost  what  they  may."  So,  in  the  gloom  of  the 
evening,  he  climbed  the  wall  of  the  witch's  garden,  and, 
snatching  a  handful  of  radishes  in  great  haste,  brought 
them  to  his  wife,  who  made  herself  a  salad  with  them, 
which  she  relished  extremely.  However,  they  were  so 
nice  and  so  well-flavoured  that  the  next  day  after  she  felt 
the  same  desire  for  the  third  time,  and  could  not  get  any 
rest,  so  that  her  husband  was  obliged  to  promise  her  some 
more.  So,  in  the  evening,  he  made  himself  ready,  and 
began  clambering  up  the  wall;  but,  oh!  how  terribly 
frightened  he  was,  for  there  he  saw  the  old  witch  stand- 
ing before  him.  "  How  dare  you,"  she  began,  looking 
at  him  with  a  frightful  scowl,  "  how  dare  you  climb 
over  into  my  garden  to  take  away  my  radishes  like  a 
thief?  Evil  shall  happen  to  you  for  this." 

"  Ah ! "  replied  he,  "  let  pardon  be  granted  before 
justice;  I  have  only  done  this  from  a  great  necessity; 
my  wife  saw  your  radishes  from  her  window,  and  took 
such  a  fancy  to  them  that  she  would  have  died  if  she  had 
not  eaten  of  them."  Then  the  witch  ran  after  him  in 
a  passion,  saying,  "  If  she  behave  as  you  say,  I  will  let 
you  take  away  all  the  radishes  you  please,  but  I  make  one 
condition;  you  must  give  me  the  child  which  your  wife 
will  bring  into  the  world.  All  shall  go  well  with  it,  and 
I  will  care  for  it  like  a  mother."  In  his  anxiety  the 
man  consented,  and  when  the  child  was  born  the  witch 

220 


RAPUNZEL 

appeared  at  the  same  time,  gave  the  child  the  name 
"  Rapunzel,"  and  took  it  away  with  her. 

Rapunzel  grew  to  be  the  most  beautiful  child  under 
the  sun,  and  when  she  was  twelve  years  old  the  witch 
shut  her  up  in  a  tower,  which  stood  in  a  forest,  and  had 
neither  stairs  nor  door,  and  only  one  little  window  just 
at  the  top.  When  the  witch  wished  to  enter,  she  stood 
beneath,  and  called  out: 

"Rapunzel!  Rapunzel! 
Let  down  your  hair." 

For  Rapunzel  had  long  and  beautiful  hair,  as  fine  as  spun 
gold;  and  as  soon  as  she  heard  the  witch's  voice  she 
unbound  her  tresses,  opened  the  window,  and  then  the 
hair  fell  down  twenty  ells,  and  the  witch  mounted  up 
by  it. 

After  a  couple  of  years  had  passed  away  it  happened 
that  the  King's  son  was  riding  through  the  wood,  and 
came  by  the  tower.  There  he  heard  a  song  so  beautiful 
that  he  stood  still  and  listened.  It  was  Rapunzel,  who, 
to  pass  the  time  of  her  loneliness  away,  was  exercising 
her  sweet  voice.  The  King's  son  wished  to  ascend  to 
her,  and  looked  for  a  door  in  the  tower,  but  he  could  not 
find  one.  So  he  rode  home,  but  the  song  had  touched 
his  heart  so  much  that  he  went  every  day  to  the  forest 
and  listened  to  it;  and  as  he  thus  stood  one  day  behind 
a  tree,  he  saw  the  witch  come  up  and  heard  her  call 
out: 

221 


RAPUNZEL 


"Rapunzel!  Rapunzell 
Let  down  your  hair." 


Then  Rapunzel  let  down  her  tresses,  and  the  witch 
mounted  up.  "  Is  that  the  ladder  on  which  one  must 
climb?  Then  I  will  try  my  luck  too,"  said  the  Prince; 
and  the  following  day,  as  he  felt  quite  lonely,  he  went 
to  the  tower,  and  said: 

"Rapunzell  Rapunzell 
Let  down  your  hair." 

Then  the  tresses  fell  down,  and  he  climbed  up.  Rapun- 
zel was  much  frightened  at  first  when  a  man  came  in, 
for  she  had  never  seen  one  before;  but  the  King's  son 
talked  in  a  loving  way  to  her,  and  told  how  his  heart 
had  been  so  moved  by  her  singing  that  he  had  no 
peace  until  he  had  seen  her  himself.  So  Rapunzel  lost 
her  terror,  and  when  he  asked  her  if  she  would  have  him 
for  a  husband,  and  she  saw  that  he  was  young  and  hand- 
some, she  thought,  "  Any  one  may  have  me  rather  than 
the  old  woman."  So,  saying  "  Yes,"  she  put  her  hand 
within  his:  "I  will  willingly  go  with  you,  but  I  know 
not  how  I  am  to  descend.  When  you  come,  bring  with 
you  a  skein  of  silk  each  time,  out  of  which  I  will  weave 
a  ladder,  and  when  it  is  ready  I  will  come  down  by  it, 
and  you  must  take  me  upon  your  horse."  Then  they 
agreed  that  they  should  never  meet  till  the  evening,  as 
the  witch  came  in  the  daytime.  The  old  woman  re- 
marked nothing  about  it,  until  one  day  Rapunzel 

222 


Snip,  snap,  she  cut  off  all  her  beauti- 
ful tresses. 


SEE  PAGE  225. 


RAPUNZEL 

innocently  said,  "  Tell  me,  mother,  how  it  happens  you 
find  it  more  difficult  to  come  up  to  me  than  the  young 
King's  son,  who  is  with  me  in  a  moment!  " 

"  Oh,  you  wicked  child ! "  exclaimed  the  witch, 
"  what  do  I  hear?  I  thought  I  had  separated  you  from 
all  the  world,  and  yet  you  have  deceived  me."  And, 
seizing  Rapunzel's  beautiful  hair  in  a  fury,  she  gave  her 
a  couple  of  blows  with  her  left  hand,  and,  taking  a  pair 
of  scissors  in  her  right,  snip,  snap,  she  cut  off  all  her 
beautiful  tresses,  and  they  fell  upon  the  ground.  Then 
she  was  so  hard-hearted  that  she  took  the  poor  maiden 
into  a  great  desert,  and  left  her  to  die  in  great  misery 
and  grief. 

But  the  same  day  when  the  old  witch  had  carried 
Rapunzel  off,  in  the  evening  she  made  the  tresses  fast 
above  to  the  window-latch,  and  when  the  King's  son 
came,  and  called  out: 

"Rapunzel!  Rapunzel! 
Let  down  your  hair," 

she  let  them  down.  The  Prince  mounted;  but  when  he 
got  to  the  top  he  found,  not  his  dear  Rapunzel,  but  the 
witch,  who  looked  at  him  with  furious  and  wicked  eyes. 
"Aha!"  she  exclaimed,  scornfully,  "you  would  fetch 
your  dear  wife;  but  the  beautiful  bird  sits  no  longer  in 
her  nest,  singing;  the  cat  has  taken  her  away,  and  will 
now  scratch  out  your  eyes.  To  you  Rapunzel  is  lost; 
you  will  never  see  her  again." 

22.5 


RAPUNZEL 

The  Prince  lost  his  senses  with  grief  at  these  words, 
and  sprang  out  of  the  window  of  the  tower  in  his  be- 
wilderment. His  life  he  escaped  with,  but  the  thorns 
into  which  he  fell  put  out  his  eyes.  So  he  wandered 
blind,  in  the  forest,  eating  nothing  but  roots  and  berries, 
and  doing  nothing  but  weep  and  lament  for  the  loss  of 
his  dear  wife.  He  wandered  about  thus,  in  great  misery, 
for  some  few  years,  and  at  last  arrived  at  the  desert  where 
Rapunzel,  with  her  twins,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  which  had 
been  born,  lived  in  great  sorrow.  Hearing  a  voice  which 
he  thought  he  knew  he  followed  in  its  direction,  and,  as 
he  approached,  Rapunzel  recognised  him  and  fell  upon 
his  neck  and  wept.  Two  of  her  tears  moistened  his  eyes, 
and  they  became  clear  again,  so  that  he  could  see  as  well 
as  formerly. 

Then  he  led  her  away  to  his  kingdom,  where  he  was 
received  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy,  and  where  they 
lived  long,  contented  and  happy. 

What  became  of  the  old  witch  no  one  ever  knew. 


226 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 


LONG  time  ago,  there  lived  a  tailor 
who  had  three  sons  and  one  goat. 
As  the  goat  had  to  feed  them  all 
with  its  milk,  it  was  necessary  that 
it  should  have  good  fodder  and  be 
taken  out  to  the  meadow  to  graze 
every  day.  The  sons  took  it  in 
turns  to  go  with  the  goat.  Once 
the  eldest  led  it  to  the  churchyard,  where  the  best  herbs 
grew,  and  let  it  graze  and  jump  about  there.  In  the 
evening,  when  it  was  time  to  come  home,  he  asked, 
"  Are  you  satisfied,  goat?  " 
The  goat  answered : 

"  I  am  so  full, 

Another  leaf  I  could  not  eat. 
Bleat  1  bleat!" 

"So  come  home,"  said  the  boy;  and  he  put  a  cord 
round  his  neck  and  led  him  away  and  tied  him  up  in  the 
stable. 

"  Did  the  goat  have  its  right  fodder,  and  enough?  " 
asked  the  tailor. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  answered  the  son.  "  She  is  so  full  she 
couldn't  eat  another  leaf." 


229 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

The  father,  however,  wanted  to  convince  himself,  so 
he  went  to  the  stable,  stroked  his  pet,  and  asked,  "  Goat, 
are  you  full?  " 

The  goat  replied: 

"  How  should  I  be  full? 
Grazing  on  the  graves, 
With  not  a  leaf  to  eat? 
Bleat!  bleat!" 

"What  do  I  hear?"  cried  the  tailor;  and  he  ran  out 
and  said  to  the  boy,  "You  wicked  boy!  you  said  the 
goat  was  full,  and  instead  you  have  let  her  starve." 
And  in  his  wrath  he  took  the  yard  measure,  and  with 
a  shower  of  blows  drove  him  out. 

The  next  day  it  was  the  second  son's  turn  to  take 
the  goat  out.  He  sought  a  place  in  the  garden  hedge 
where  there  were  some  tasty  herbs  and  weeds;  the  goat 
stripped  the  hedge,  and  when  it  was  evening  and  time  to 
go  home,  he  asked,  "  Goat,  are  you  full?  " 

The  goat  answered: 

"  I  am  so  full, 

Another  leaf  I  could  not  eat. 
Bleat!  bleat!" 

"  So  come  home,  then,"  said  the  boy.  He  led  him 
away,  and  tied  him  up  in  the  stable. 

"  Now,  then,"  asked  the  old  tailor,  "  has  the  goat  had 
its  proper  food?  " 

"  Oh,"  answered  the  son,  "  she  is  so  full  she  couldn't 
eat  another  leaf." 

230 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

But  the  tailor  wasn't  satisfied,  and  he  went  into  the 
stable  and  asked,  "  Goat,  are  you  full?  " 
The  goat  replied: 

"  How  should  I  be  full? 
Grazing  on  the  graves, 
yVith  not  a  leaf  to  eat? 
Bleat!  bleatl" 

"  The  wicked  rascal,"  cried  the  tailor,  "  to  let  a  good 
animal  like  this  starve!'1  And  with  the  yard  measure 
he  struck  his  son  and  drove  him  off. 

It  was  the  third  son's  turn  the  next  day,  and  to  be 
quite  sure  the  goat  should  have  good  food,  he  selected  a 
beautiful  shrub  and  let  the  goat  eat  the  leaves.  When 
evening  came  and  it  was  time  to  go  home,  he  asked, 
"  Goat,  are  you  full?  " 

The  goat  answered: 

"  I  am  so  full, 

Another  leaf  I  could  not  eat. 
Bleat!  bleat!" 

"  Then  come  home,"  said  the  boy.  He  led  the  goat 
into  the  stable  and  tied  it  up. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  the  tailor,  "  has  the  goat  had  its 
proper  food?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  answered  the  son.  "  She  is  so  full  she 
hasn't  room  for  another  leaf." 

The  tailor  didn't  trust  his  word,  and  went  again  to 
the  goat  and  asked,  "  Goat,  are  you  really  full?  " 

The  wicked  animal  answered : 

231 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

"  How  should  I  be  full? 
Grazing  on  the  graves, 
With  not  a  leaf  to  eat? 
Bleat!  bleatl " 

"  Oh,  you  scamp  1 "  exclaimed  the  tailor,  "  as  bad 
and  undutiful  as  your  brothers.  You  shan't  make  a  fool 
of  me  any  longer  " ;  and  quite  beside  himself  with  anger, 
he  thrashed  the  poor  boy  with  the  yard  measure  so 
terribly  that  he  ran  away. 

The  old  tailor  was  now  left  alone  with  the  goat. 
The  next  morning  he  went  to  the  stable,  caressed  the 
goat,  and  said,  "  Now,  my  pretty  animal,  I  will  myself 
take  you  out  to  graze."  He  put  the  cord  round  its 
neck,  and  led  it  to  a  hedge  where  there  were  nettles  and 
other  things  goats  like.  "  Eat  to  your  heart's  content," 
he  said,  and  he  let  her  graze  till  evening.  Then  he 
asked,  "  Goat,  are  you  full?  " 

And  she  answered : 

"  I  am  so  full, 

Another  leaf  I  could  not  eat. 
Bleatl  bleat!" 

"  Then  come  home,"  said  the  tailor,  and  led  her 
into  the  stable  and  tied  her  up.  As  he  was  going  away 
he  turned  round  and  said,  "  For  once  you  are  full." 

But  the  goat  called  out  as  usual : 

"How  should  I  be  full? 
Grazing  on  the  graves, 
With  not  a  leaf  to  eat? 
Bleat!  bleatl" 

232 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

On  hearing  this  the  tailor  knew  the  truth,  and  how 
he  had  turned  out  his  three  sons  without  just  cause. 
"  Wait  a  minute,"  he  cried.  "  You  ungrateful  brute !  to 
chase  you  away  is  not  sufficient  punishment;  I  will 
brand  you  first,  so  that  you'll  be  ashamed  to  show  your- 
self among  honest  tailors."  He  ran  and  fetched  his 
razor,  soaped  the  goat's  head,  then  shaved  it  as  smooth 
as  his  hand.  And  because  the  yard  measure  seemed  too 
honourable  a  weapon,  he  seized  the  whip  instead,  and 
lashed  the  goat  till  she  bounded  off  in  terror. 

The  tailor,  all  alone  in  his  house,  moped  and  fell 
into  a  melancholy  condition.  Gladly  would  he  have  had 
his  sons  back,  but  he  had  no  idea  what  had  become 
of  them. 

The  eldest  became  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter;  he 
served  his  time  diligently,  and  when  his  time  was  up,  his 
master  made  him  a  present  of  a  little  table,  which  was 
made  of  ordinary  wood,  but  had  one  peculiarity.  If  you 
put  it  down  anywhere  and  said,  "  Little  table,  lay  your- 
self," the  good  little  table  was  at  once  covered  with  a 
clean  cloth,  a  plate,  knife  and  fork,  dishes  with  boiled 
and  roast  meat,  and  a  big  bumper  of  red  wine  that  did 
your  heart  good  to  look  at,  it  sparkled  so.  The  young 
fellow  thought,  "  With  this  you  will  live  in  plenty  all 
your  life,"  and  went  to  see  the  world,  never  troubling 
about  whether  an  inn  were  good  or  bad.  If  it  did  not 
please  him  he  didn't  go  in,  but  took  his  table  into  a  wood 

233 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

or  a  meadow,  or  to  any  spot  he  fancied.  Directly  he 
put  it  down  and  said,  "  Lay  yourself,"  everything  was  on 
it  that  his  heart  could  desire. 

At  last  it  occurred  to  him  to  go  back  to  his  father, 
whose  wrath  by  this  time  was  sure  to  have  died  down, 
and  who  would  welcome  him  if  he  came  with  the 
wonderful  little  table  on  his  back. 

It  happened  that  while  he  was  on  the  way  he  came 
to  an  inn  that  was  filled  with  guests;  they  bade  him 
welcome,  and  invited  him  to  sit  down  with  them  to 
dinner,  otherwise  he  would  stand  a  poor  chance  of 
getting  anything,  as  the  inn  was  full. 

"  No,"  answered  the  carpenter,  "  I  will  not  rob 
you  of  a  mouthful;  on  the  contrary,  I  should  like  to 
entertain  you  as  my  guests." 

They  laughed,  and  thought  he  was  joking. 

He,  however,  put  down  his  wooden  table  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  and  said,  "  Little  table,  lay  your- 
self." Immediately  it  was  covered  with  good  things  to 
eat,  far  better  than  anything  the  host  could  supply, 
and  the  smell  of  which  seemed  very  appetising  to  the 
guests. 

"  Set  to  work,  dear  friends,"  said  the  carpenter;  and 
the  guests,  when  they  saw  he  really  meant  it,  did  not 
wait  to  be  asked  again,  but  came  to  the  table  and  plied 
their  knives  and  forks  with  a  will. 

The    host    stood   in    a    corner    and    looked    on;    he 

234 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

didn't  know  at  all  what  to  make  of  it,  but  thought  such 
a  cook  would  be  useful  in  his  household. 

The  carpenter  and  the  company  he  entertained  were 
lively  till  midnight;  then  they  went  to  bed,  and  the 
young  apprentice  placed  his  table  against  the  wall  before 
he  lay  down  to  sleep.  The  host's  thoughts  were  busy 
meanwhile,  and  he  could  not  rest  for  thinking  of  an  old 
table  in  the  lumber  room  that  looked  very  much  the 
same  as  this  magic  one.  At  last  he  went  and  brought 
it,  and  changed  it  with  the  carpenter's. 

The  next  morning  the  carpenter  paid  his  bill,  packed 
up  his  dear  table,  little  dreaming  it  was  the  wrong  one, 
and  went  his  way. 

About  midday  he  arrived  at  his  father's,  who  received 
him  with  joyous  greetings. 

"  My  dear  son,  tell  me  what  you've  been  doing," 
he  said. 

"  Father,  I  have  become  a  carpenter." 

"  A  good  trade ;  but  what  have  you  brought  away 
as  a  specimen  of  your  craft?  " 

"  Father,  the  best  thing  I  could  bring  was  this  table." 

The  tailor  examined  the  table  in  every  part,  then 
said,  "I  can't  say  it  is  a  masterpiece;  it  strikes  me  as 
being  a  very  old  and  a  badly  made  table." 

"But,"  said  the  son,  "it  is  a  table  that  lays  itself;  I 
have  only  to  place  it  somewhere  and  to  tell  it  to  lay 
itself,  and  it  produces  on  the  instant  dainty  dishes  and 

235 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

delicious  wine.  Just  invite  all  your  friends  and  relatives 
to  come  and  regale  themselves;  the  table  will  send  them 
away  well  filled  and  happy." 

When  the  company  arrived,  he  placed  the  small  table 
in  the  middle  of  the  room  and  said,  "  Little  table,  lay 
yourself,"  but  the  table  did  not  stir,  and  remained  as 
empty  as  any  other  table  which  did  not  understand 
language.  Then  the  poor  fellow  discovered  that  the 
table  had  been  changed,  and  hung  his  head  in  shame. 
The  relatives  laughed  and  made  game  of  him,  and  they 
were  obliged  to  take  their  way  home  unfed  and  without 
drinking  anything.  His  father  brought  out  his  work 
again,  and  tailored  away,  and  the  poor  son  went  to  find 
employment  in  the  service  of  a  new  master. 

The  second  son  meanwhile  had  gone  as  apprentice 
to  a  miller.  When  his  year  was  up  his  master  said, 
"  You  have  worked  and  behaved  so  well,  that  I  will  give 
you  a  present  of  a  donkey  of  a  peculiar  kind;  he  cannot 
draw  a  cart  or  carry  any  sacks." 

"  What  use  is  he,  then?  "  asked  the  young  apprentice. 

"  He  spits  gold,"  answered  the  miller.  "  If  you  put 
him  on  a  cloth  and  say,  '  Bricklebrit/  the  good  animal 
will  spit  out  gold  coins  before  and  behind." 

"  Good  business,"  said  the  apprentice,  thanked  his 
master,  and  went  out  into  the  world.  When  he  wanted 
money  he  had  only  to  remark  "  Bricklebrit "  to  his 
donkey,  and  there  was  a  shower  of  gold  coins;  so  that 

236 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

he  had  no  need  to  work  for  a  living.  Wherever  he  went 
he  drew  the  line  at  nothing.  The  dearer  things  were 
the  better,  because  his  purse  was  always  full. 

After  wandering  for  some  time  seeing  the  world,  he 
thought  at  last,  "  It's  time  you  looked  up  your  father 
again.  If  you  return  home  with  the  gold  donkey  he  will 
forget  his  anger  and  welcome  you  home." 

Now  it  happened  that  on  the  way  he  put  up  at  the 
same  inn  where  his  brother's  table  had  been  changed. 
He  led  his  donkey  by  the  hand,  and  his  host  wanted  to 
take  it  from  him  and  tie  it  up,  but  the  young  apprentice 
said,  "  Don't  trouble,  please;  I  will  take  my  grey  steed 
myself  into  the  stable  and  fasten  him  up,  so  that  I  shall 
know  exactly  where  he  is." 

The  host  thought  this  curious,  and  was  of  opinion 
that  a  man  who  insisted  on  stabling  his  own  donkey 
probably  hadn't  much  to  spend.  However,  when  his 
guest  put  his  hand^in  his  pocket  and,  drawing  forth  two 
sovereigns,  asked  him  to  bring  in  a  supply  of  good  fare, 
he  opened  his  eyes  with  surprise,  then  ran  and  procured 
the  best  that  was  to  be  had. 

After  the  meal  the  stranger  asked  how  much  he  had 
still  to  pay,  and  the  host,  to  make  as  much  out  of  him 
as  possible,  said,  "  Two  sovereigns  more." 

The  apprentice  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  but  found 
his  supply  of  gold  had  run  out.  "  Wait  a  minute,  land- 
lord," he  said,  "  I  will  go  and  fetch  more  money,"  and 

237 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

he  took  the  tablecloth  with  him.  The  host's  curiosity 
was  aroused,  and  he  followed  on  tiptoe.  The  guest 
bolted  the  stable  door  behind  him,  but  the  spy  looked 
through  the  keyhole  and  saw  him  spread  the  cloth  under 
the  donkey.  Directly  he  had  exclaimed,  "  Bricklebrit," 
the  animal  begun  to  spit  gold  from  every  part,  till  the 
ground  was  covered. 

"  Ah ! "  said  the  host,  "  in  that  way  sovereigns  are 
quickly  coined !  I  wouldn't  mind  possessing  such  a  mint." 

The  guest  paid  his  bill  and  retired  to  bed. 

In  the  night  the  host  sneaked  out  to  his  stable, 
removed  the  money-making  donkey,  and  put  an  ordinary 
donkey  in  its  place. 

Early  the  following  morning  the  apprentice  set  off 
with  the  animal,  which  he  thought  was  his  gold  donkey, 
arriving  at  noon  at  his  father's  house.  He  received  a 
warm  welcome. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  all  this  time,  son? " 
asked  the  old  man. 

"  I  have  learnt  to  be  a  miller,"  he  answered. 

"  And  what  have  you  brought  as  a  specimen  of  your 
labours?  " 

"  Nothing  but  a  donkey." 

"  Donkeys  are  common  enough  here,"  said  his  father. 
"  I  would  rather  it  had  been  a  good  goat." 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  son,  "  but  this  is  no  common 
donkey;  you  have  only  to  say,  *  Bricklebrit,'  and  the 

238 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

animal  will  spit  out  for  you  a  cloth  full  of  sovereigns. 
Invite  all  the  relatives  we  have  to  come  and  make  their 
fortunes." 

'That  will  be  greatly  to  my  mind,"  said  the  tailor, 
"  and  I  needn't  slave  at  my  needle  any  longer." 

So  when  all  the  relatives  had  come  the  young  miller 
told  them  to  sit  down,  and  he  spread  out  the  cloth  and 
brought  the  donkey  into  the  room.  "Now  look  out," 
he  said,  and  shouted,  "  Bricklebrit,"  but  no  gold  coins 
appeared,  and  it  was  evident  the  donkey  had  no  notion 
of  the  art  of  producing  them.  Not  every  donkey  is  so 
clever. 

The  poor  miller  pulled  a  long  face  and  begged  the 
relatives'  pardon.  They  had  to  go  home  as  poor  as  they 
came;  and  the  poor  old  man  was  obliged  to  drudge  with 
his  needle  as  he  had  always  done,  while  the  youth  took 
a  place  under  another  miller. 

The  third  brother  had  gone  to  a  turner's  to  learn  the 
trade,  and  because  turning  is  an  artistic  calling  his  was 
the  longest  apprenticeship.  His  brothers  wrote  and  told 
him  the  misfortunes  which  had  befallen  them,  and  how 
the  host  of  the  inn  at  which  they  had  put  up  had  stolen 
their  valuable  magic  gifts. 

Now  when  the  turner  had  learnt  all  there  was  to 
learn  of  the  business,  and  was  going  to  travel,  his  master 
presented  him  with  a  sack,  and  remarked,  "  There  is  a 
cudgel  inside." 

239 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

"  The  sack  I  can  rest  on ;  but  what  good  is  the 
cudgel?  It  will  only  make  the  sack  heavy." 

"  Listen,"  said  the  master.  "  If  any  one  threatens 
you,  all  you've  to  say  is,  *  Cudgel,  jump  out  of  the  sack,' 
and  the  cudgel  will  jump  out,  and  will  dance  on  the 
backs  of  people  so  effectively  that  they  will  have  to  lie 
still  and  not  move  for  ten  days  afterwards." 

The  apprentice  thanked  him,  slung  the  sack  over  his 
shoulder,  and  whenever  anybody  came  too  near,  or  was 
in  any  way  offensive,  he  merely  said,  "  Cudgel,  jump  out 
of  the  sack,"  and  the  cudgel  came  out  and  laid  about 
with  a  will  on  the  backs  of  the  rascals. 

The  young  turner  came  one  evening  to  the  same  inn 
where  his  brothers  had  been  swindled.  He  laid  his  wares 
on  the  table,  and  began  to  relate  stories  of  the  wonderful 
things  he  had  seen  on  his  travels.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  it's 
all  very  well  to  talk  about  tables  that  cover  themselves,  and 
donkeys  that  coin  sovereigns,  but  I  have  a  treasure  in 
my  sack  compared  with  which  these  things  are  nothing 
at  all." 

The  host  pricked  up  his  ears  and  thought,  "  The  sack 
is  full  of  precious  stones,  I'll  be  bound.  I'll  get  it 
cheaply;  all  good  things  come  in  threes." 

When  it  was  time  to  retire  the  turner  stretched  him- 
self on  a  form,  using  the  sack  as  a  pillow.  The  host, 
thinking  the  guest  was  in  a  deep  slumber,  crept  up 
and  began  looking  at  the  sack  to  see  if  he  could  pull 

240 


The  host  screamed  for  mercy,  but  all 
the  lustier  was  the  cudgel  in  beating 
time  on  his  back. 


SEE  PAGE  243. 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

it  from  under  the  sleeper's  head  and  exchange  it  for 
another. 

The  turner,  however,  had  long  been  on  the  look- 
out, and  just  as  the  host  had  made  up  his  mind  to  give 
him  a  shove  and  take  the  sack,  he  cried,  "  Cudgel,  come 
out!  "  Immediately  the  cudgel  jumped  forth  on  to  the 
host's  body,  which  he  first  scraped,  according  to  a  little 
custom  of  his,  and  then  began  to  flog. 

The  host  screamed  for  mercy,  but  all  the  lustier  was 
the  cudgel  in  beating  time  on  his  back,  till  at  last  the 
victim  fell  exhausted  on  the  floor. 

The  turner  then  said,  "  If  you  will  not  restore  to 
me  the  magic  table  and  the  gold  donkey  of  which 
you  robbed  my  brothers,  the  dance  shall  begin  all  over 
again." 

"  Ah,  no,  please,"  cried  the  host  in  a  faint  voice. 
"  I  will  restore  everything  if  you  will  only  tell  this 
wretched  thing  to  get  back  in  the  sack." 

"  I  will  be  gracious  and  show  mercy,  now  justice  has 
been  done,"  said  the  turner,  "  but  take  care  what  you  do 
next."  He  then  called  out,  "  Cudgel,  jump  into  the 
sack,  and  let  the  host  alone." 

The  next  morning  the  turner  set  out,  taking  with 
him  the  magic  table  and  the  gold  donkey.  When  he 
arrived  at  his  father's  the  old  tailor  was  delighted  to  see 
him,  and  asked  what  he  had  learnt  while  he  had  been 
out  in  the  world. 

243 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

"  Dear  father,"  he  answered,  "  I  have  learnt  to  be  a 
turner." 

"  A  very  artistic  trade,"  remarked  the  father.  "  And 
what  have  you  to  show?  " 

"A  most  costly  article,  dear  father,"  replied  the  son, 
"  a  cudgel  in  a  sack." 

"What!"  exclaimed  his  father,  "a  cudgel!  You 
can  cut  one  from  any  tree  you  come  to." 

"  But  not  one  like  this,  dear  father.  If  I  say, 
'  Cudgel,  jump  out  of  the  sack,'  the  cudgel  jumps  out, 
and  leads  any  one  who  is  not  friendly  to  me  a  dance, 
beating  him  till  he  lies  on  the  ground  crying  for  mercy. 
Look,  with  this  cudgel  I  have  got  back  the  table  that 
spread  itself,  and  a  gold  donkey,  which  a  rascally  cheat- 
ing landlord  stole  from  my  brothers.  Now  summon  all 
our  relatives  and  friends,  and  let  them  eat  and  drink,  and 
fill  their  pockets  with  gold  sovereigns." 

The  old  tailor  looked  rather  unbelieving,  but  sent 
for  the  relatives. 

Then  the  turner  fetched  a  cloth  and  led  in  the  gold 
donkey.  He  said  to  his  brother,  "  Now,  my  dear  boy, 
speak  to  him." 

The  miller  said,  "  Bricklebrit,"  and  on  the  instant 
gold  coins  rained  into  the  cloth,  and  the  donkey  did  not 
stop  till  every  one  had  picked  up  more  than  he  could 
carry.  Next  the  turner  fetched  the  table  and  said  to  the 
other  brother,  "  Speak  to  it,  dear  brother."  Scarcely 

244 


THE  THREE  MAGIC  GIFTS 

had  the  carpenter  cried,  "  Little  table,  spread  yourself," 
than  it  was  covered  with  the  most  delicious  things  to 
eat.  A  meal  was  eaten  the  like  of  which  had  never 
been  known  in  the  tailor's  house  before,  and  the  relatives 
remained  till  late,  and  were  all  merry  and  contented. 

The  tailor  for  the  future  locked  up  his  needle  and 
thread,  his  yard  measure,  and  his  iron,  in  a  cupboard, 
and  lived  at  his  ease  with  his  three  sons  in  comfort  and 
plenty. 


245 


CATSKIN 


CATSKIN 


HERE  was  once  a  King,  whose 
Queen  had  hair  of  the  purest  gold, 
and  was  so  beautiful  that  her  match 
was  not  to  be  met  with  on  the 
whole  face  of  the  earth.  But  this 
beautiful  Queen  fell  ill,  and  when 
she  felt  that  her  end  drew  near,  she 
called  the  King  to  her  and  said, 
"  Vow  to  me  that  you  will  never  marry  again,  unless 
you  meet  with  a  wife  who  is  as  beautiful  as  I  am, 
and  who  has  golden  hair  like  mine."  Then  when  the 
King  in  his  grief  had  vowed  all  she  asked,  she  shut  her 
eyes  and  died.  But  the  King  was  not  to  be  comforted, 
and  for  a  long  time  never  thought  of  taking  another 
wife.  At  last,  however,  his  counsellors  said,  "  This  will 
not  do;  the  King  must  marry  again,  that  we  may  have 
a  Queen."  So  messengers  were  sent  far  and  wide,  to 
seek  for  a  bride  who  was  as  beautiful  as  the  late  Queen. 
But  there  was  no  Princess  in  the  world  so  beautiful;  and 
if  there  had  been,  still  there  was  not  one  to  be  found 
who  had  such  golden  hair.  So  the  messengers  came 
home,  and  had  done  all  their  work  for  nothing. 

Now  the  King  had  a  daughter  who  was  just  as  teauti- 


249 


CATSKIN 

ful  as  her  mother,  and  had  the  same  golden  hair.  And 
when  she  was  grown  up,  the  King  looked  at  her  and  saw 
that  she  was  just  like  his  late  Queen;  then  he  said  to  his 
courtiers,  "  May  I  not  marry  my  daughter?  she  is  the 
very  image  of  my  dead  wife:  unless  I  have  her,  I  shall 
not  find  any  bride  upon  the  whole  earth,  and  you  say 
there  must  be  a  Queen."  When  the  courtiers  heard  this, 
they  were  shocked,  and  said,  "  Heaven  forbid  that  a  father 
should  marry  his  daughter!  out  of  so  great  a  sin  no  good 
can  come."  And  his  daughter  was  also  shocked,  but 
hoped  the  King  would  soon  give  up  such  thoughts;  so 
she  said  to  him,  "  Before  I  marry  any  one  I  must  have 
three  dresses:  one  must  be  of  gold  like  the  sun,  another 
must  be  of  shining  silver  like  the  moon,  and  a  third  must 
be  dazzling  as  the  stars;  besides  this,  I  want  a  mantle  of 
a  thousand  different  kinds  of  fur  put  together,  to  which 
every  beast  in  the  kingdom  must  give  a  part  of  his  skin." 
And  thus  she  thought  he  would  think  of  the  matter  no 
more.  But  the  King  made  the  most  skilful  workmen  in 
his  kingdom  weave  the  three  dresses,  one  as  golden  as  the 
sun,  another  as  silvery  as  the  moon,  and  a  third  shining 
like  the  stars;  and  his  hunters  were  told  to  hunt  out 
all  the  beasts  in  his  kingdom  and  take  the  finest  furs  out 
of  their  skins:  and  so  a  mantle  of  a  thousand  furs  was 
made. 

When  all  was  ready,  the  King  sent  them  to  her;  but 
she  got  up  in  the  night  when  all  were  asleep,  and  took 

250 


CATSKIN 

three  of  her  trinkets,  a  golden  ring,  a  golden  necklace, 
and  a  golden  brooch;  and  packed  the  three  dresses  of 
the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  up  in  a  nutshell,  and  wrapped 
herself  up  in  the  mantle  of  all  sorts  of  fur,  and  besmeared 
her  face  and  hands  with  soot.  Then  she  threw  herself 
upon  heaven  for  help  in  her  need,  and  went  away  and 
journeyed  on  the  whole  night,  till  at  last  she  came  to  a 
large  wood.  As  she  was  very  tired,  she  sat  herself  down 
in  the  hollow  of  a  tree  and  soon  fell  asleep;  and  there 
she  slept  on  till  it  was  midday;  and  it  happened,  that 
as  the  King  to  whom  the  wood  belonged  was  hunting  in 
it,  his  dogs  came  to  the  tree,  and  began  to  snuff  about 
and  run  round  and  round,  and  then  to  bark.  "  Look 
sharp,"  said  the  King  to  the  huntsmen,  "  and  see  what 
sort  of  game  lies  there."  And  the  huntsmen  went  up  to 
the  tree,  and  when  they  came  back  again  said,  "  In  the 
hollow  tree  there  lies  a  most  wonderful  beast,  such  as  we 
never  saw  before;  its  skin  seems  of  a  thousand  kinds  of 
fur,  but  there  it  lies  fast  asleep."  "  See,"  said  the  King, 
"  if  you  can  catch  it  alive,  and  we  will  take  it  with  us." 
So  the  huntsmen  took  it  up,  and  the  maiden  awoke  and 
was  greatly  frightened,  and  said,  "  I  am  a  poor  child 
that  has  neither  father  nor  mother  left;  have  pity  on  me 
and  take  me  with  you."  Then  they  said,  "Yes,  Miss 
Catskin,  you  will  do  for  the  kitchen;  you  can  sweep 
up  the  ashes  and  do  things  of  that  sort."  So  they  put 
her  in  the  coach  and  took  her  home  to  the  King's  palace. 

251 


CATSKIN 

Then  they  showed  her  a  little  corner  under  the  staircase 
where  no  light  of  day  ever  peeped  in,  and  said,  "  Cat- 
skin,  you  may  lie  and  sleep  there."  And  she  was  sent 
into  the  kitchen,  and  made  to  fetch  wood  and  water,  to 
blow  the  fire,  pluck  the  poultry,  pick  the  herbs,  sift  the 
ashes,  and  do  all  the  dirty  work. 

Thus  Catskin  lived  for  a  long  time  very  sorrowfully. 
"  Ah !  pretty  Princess !  "  thought  she,  "  what  will  now 
become  of  thee ! "  But  it  happened  one  day  that  a  feast 
was  to  be  held  in  the  King's  castle;  so  she  said  to  the 
cook,  "  May  I  go  up  a  little  while  and  see  what  is  going 
on?  I  will  take  care  and  stand  behind  the  door."  And 
the  cook  said,  "  Yes,  you  may  go,  but  be  back  again  in 
half  an  hour's  time  to  rake  out  the  ashes."  Then  she 
took  her  little  lamp,  and  went  into  her  cabin,  and  took 
off  the  fur  skin,  and  washed  the  soot  from  off  her  face 
and  hands,  so  that  her  beauty  shone  forth  like  the  sun 
from  behind  the  clouds.  She  next  opened  her  nutshell, 
and  brought  out  of  it  the  dress  that  shone  like  the  sun, 
and  so  went  to  the  feast.  Every  one  made  way  for  her, 
for  nobody  knew  her,  and  they  thought  she  could  be 
no  less  than  a  King's  daughter.  But  the  King  came  up 
to  her  and  held  out  his  hand  and  danced  with  her,  and 
he  thought  in  his  heart,  "  I  never  saw  any  one  half  so 
beautiful." 

When  the  dance  was  at  an  end,  she  curtsied;  and 
when  the  King  looked  round  for  her  she  was  gone,  no 

252 


CAT  SKIN 

one  knew  whither.  The  guards  who  stood  at  the  castle 
gate  were  called  in;  but  they  had  seen  no  one.  The 
truth  was,  that  she  had  run  into  her  little  cabin,  pulled 
off  her  dress,  blacked  her  face  and  hands,  put  on  the  fur- 
skin  cloak,  and  was  Catskin  again.  When  she  went 
into  the  kitchen  to  her  work,  and  began  to  rake  the 
ashes,  the  cook  said,  "  Let  that  alone  till  the  morning, 
and  heat  the  King's  soup;  I  should  like  to  run  up 
now  and  give  a  peep;  but  take  care  you  don't  let  a 
hair  fall  into  it,  or  you  will  run  a  chance  of  never  eating 
again." 

As  soon  as  the  cook  went  away,  Catskin  heated  the 
King's  soup  and  toasted  up  a  slice  of  bread  as  nicely  as 
ever  she  could;  and  when  it  was  ready,  she  went  and 
looked  in  the  cabin  for  her  little  golden  ring,  and  put  it 
into  the  dish  in  which  the  soup  was.  When  the  dance 
was  over,  the  King  ordered  his  soup  to  be  brought  in, 
and  it  pleased  him  so  well  that  he  thought  he  had  never 
tasted  any  so  good  before.  At  the  bottom  he  saw  a  gold 
ring  lying,  and  as  he  could  not  make  out  how  it  had  got 
there,  he  ordered  the  cook  to  be  sent  for.  The  cook  was 
frightened  when  she  heard  the  order,  and  said  to  Cat- 
skin,  "  You  must  have  let  a  hair  fall  into  the  soup ;  if  it 
be  so,  you  will  have  a  good  beating."  Then  she  went 
before  the  King,  and  he  asked  her  who  had  cooked  the 
soup.  "  I  did,"  answered  she.  But  the  King  said,  "  That 
is  not  true;  it  was  better  done  than  you  could  do  it." 

253 


CATSKIN 

Then  she  answered,  "  To  tell  the  truth,  I  did  not  cook 
it,  but  Catskin  did."  "  Then  let  Catskin  come  up,"  said 
the  King ;  and  when  she  came,  he  said  to  her,  "  Who  are 
you?"  "  I  am  a  poor  child,"  said  she,  "who  has  lost 
both  father  and  mother."  "  How  came  you  in  my 
palace?  "  asked  he.  "  I  am  good  for  nothing,"  said  she, 
"  but  to  be  scullion  girl,  and  to  have  boots  and  shoes 
thrown  at  my  head."  "  But  how  did  you  get  the  ring 
that  was  in  the  soup?  "  asked  the  King.  But  she  would 
not  own  that  she  knew  anything  about  the  ring;  so  the 
King  sent  her  away  again  about  her  business. 

After  a  time  there  was  another  feast,  and  Catskin 
asked  the  cook  to  let  her  go  up  and  see  it  as  before. 
'  Yes,"  said  she,  "  but  come  back  again  in  half  an  hour, 
and  cook  the  King  the  soup  that  he  likes  so  much." 
Then  she  ran  to  her  little  cabin,  washed  herself  quickly, 
and  took  the  dress  out  which  was  silvery  as  the  moon, 
and  put  it  on;  and  when  she  went  in  looking  like  a 
King's  daughter,  the  King  went  up  to  her  and  rejoiced 
at  seeing  her  again,  and  when  the  dance  began  he 
danced  with  her.  After  the  dance  was  at  an  end,  she 
managed  to  slip  out  so  slyly  that  the  King  did  not  see 
where  she  was  gone;  but  she  sprang  into  her  little 
cabin  and  made  herself  into  Catskin  again,  and  went 
into  the  kitchen  to  cook  the  soup.  Whilst  the  cook 
was  above,  she  got  the  golden  necklace,  and  dropped  it 
into  the  soup;  then  it  was  brought  to  the  King,  who 

254. 


She  managed  to  slip  out  so  slyly  that 
the  King  did  not  see  "where  she  was 
gone. 


SEE  PAGE  254. 


CATSKIN 

ate  it,  and  it  pleased  him  as  well  as  before;  so  he  sent 
for  the  cook,  who  was  again  forced  to  tell  him  that 
Catskin  had  cooked  it.  Catskin  was  brought  again 
before  the  King;  but  she  still  told  him  that  she  was 
only  fit  to  have  the  boots  and  shoes  thrown  at  her 
head. 

But  when  the  King  had  ordered  a  feast  to  be  got 
ready  for  the  third  time,  it  happened  just  the  same  as 
before.  "You  must  be  a  witch,  Catskin,"  said  the 
cook;  "for  you  always  put  something  into  the  soup, 
so  that  it  pleases  the  King  better  than  mine."  How- 
ever, she  let  her  go  up  as  before.  Then  she  put  on  the 
dress  which  sparkled  like  the  stars,  and  went  into  the 
ballroom  in  it;  and  the  King  danced  with  her  again, 
and  thought  she  had  never  looked  so  beautiful  as  she 
did  then:  so  whilst  he  was  dancing  with  her,  he  put 
a  gold  ring  on  her  finger  without  her  seeing  it,  and 
ordered  that  the  dance  should  be  kept  up  a  long  time. 
When  it  was  at  an  end,  he  would  have  held  her  fast  by 
the  hand;  but  she  slipped  away  and  sprang  so  quickly 
through  the  crowd  that  he  lost  sight  of  her;  and  she 
ran  as  fast  as  she  could  into  her  little  cabin  under  the 
stairs.  But  this  time  she  kept  away  too  long,  and  stayed 
beyond  the  half  hour;  so  she  had  not  time  to  take  off 
her  fine  dress,  but  threw  her  fur  mantle  over  it,  and  in 
her  haste  did  not  soot  herself  all  over,  but  left  one  finger 
white. 

257 


CATSKIN 

Then  she  ran  into  the  kitchen,  and  cooked  the  King's 
soup;  and  as  soon  as  the  cook  was  gone,  she  put  the 
golden  brooch  into  the  dish.  When  the  King  got  to 
the  bottom,  he  ordered  Catskin  to  be  called  once  more, 
and  soon  saw  the  white  ringer  and  the  ring  that  he  had 
put  on  it  whilst  they  were  dancing;  so  he  seized  her 
hand,  and  kept  fast  hold  of  it,  and  when  she  wanted  to 
loose  herself  and  spring  away,  the  fur  cloak  fell  off  a 
little  on  one  side,  and  the  starry  dress  sparkled  under- 
neath it.  Then  he  got  hold  of  the  fur  and  tore  it  off, 
and  her  golden  hair  and  beautiful  form  were  seen,  and 
she  could  no  longer  hide  herself;  so  she  washed  the 
soot  and  ashes  from  off  her  face,  and  showed  herself  to 
be  the  most  beautiful  Princess  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 
But  the  King  said,  "  You  are  my  beloved  bride,  and  we 
will  never  more  be  parted  from  each  other."  And  the 
wedding  feast  was  held,  and  a  merry  day  it  was. 


258 


THE  GOLDEN  GOOSE 


THE  GOLDEN  GOOSE 


HERE  was  a  man  who  had  three 
sons.  The  youngest  was  called 
Dummling,  and  was  on  all  occa- 
sions despised  and  ill-treated  by  the 
whole  family.  It  happened  that  the 
eldest  took  it  into  his  head  one  day 
to  go  into  the  wood  to  cut  fuel; 
and  his  mother  gave  him  a  delicious 
pasty  and  a  bottle  of  wine  to  take  with  him,  that  he 
might  refresh  himself  at  his  work.  As  he  went  into 
the  wood,  a  little  old  man  bid  him  good  day,  and 
said,  "  Give  me  a  little  piece  of  meat  from  your  plate, 
and  a  little  wine  out  of  your  bottle;  I  am  very  hungry 
and  thirsty."  But  this  clever  young  man  said,  "  Give 
you  my  meat  and  wine!  No,  I  thank  you;  I  should 
not  have  enough  left  for  myself " :  and  away  he  went. 
He  soon  began  to  cut  down  a  tree;  but  he  had  not 
worked  long  before  he  missed  his  stroke,  and  cut  him- 
self, and  was  obliged  to  go  home  to  have  the  wound 
dressed.  Now  it  was  the  little  old  man  that  caused  him 
this  mischief. 

Next  went  out   the   second   son   to   work;    and  his 


261 


THE  GOLDEN.  GOOSE 

mother  gave  him  too  a  pasty  and  a  bottle  of  wine.  And 
the  same  little  old  man  met  him  also,  and  asked  him  for 
something  to  eat  and  drink.  But  he  too  thought  him- 
self vastly  clever,  and  said,  "  Whatever  you  get,  I  shall 
lose;  so  go  your  way!'1  The  little  man  took  care  that 
he  should  have  his  reward;  and  the  second  stroke  that 
he  aimed  against  a  tree,  hit  him  on  the  leg;  so  that  he 
too  was  forced  to  go  home. 

Then  Dummling  said,  "  Father,  I  should  like  to  go 
and  cut  wood  too."  But  his  father  answered,  "  Your 
brothers  have  both  lamed  themselves;  you  had  better 
stay  at  home,  for  you  know  nothing  of  the  business." 
But  Dummling  was  very  pressing;  and  at  last  his  father 
said,  "  Go  your  way;  you  will  be  wiser  when  you  have 
suffered  for  your  folly."  And  his  mother  gave  him  only 
some  dry  bread,  and  a  bottle  of  sour  beer;  but  when  he 
went  into  the  wood,  he  met  the  little  old  man,  who  said, 
"  Give  me  some  meat  and  drink,  for  I  am  very  hungry 
and  thirsty."  Dummling  said,  "  I  have  only  dry  bread 
and  sour  beer;  if  that  will  suit  you,  we  will  sit  down 
and  eat  it  together."  So  they  sat  down;  and  when  the 
lad  pulled  out  his  bread,  behold,  it  was  turned  into  a 
capital  pasty,  and  his  sour  beer  became  delightful  wine. 
They  ate  and  drank  heartily;  and  when  they  had  done, 
the  little  man  said,  "  As  you  have  a  kind  heart,  and  have 
been  willing  to  share  everything  with  me,  I  will  send  a 
blessing  upon  you.  There  stands  an  old  tree;  cut  it 

262 


As  soon  as  she  saw  the  seven  all  hang- 
ing together,  she  could  not  help  burst" 
ing  into  a  long  and  loud  laugh. 


SEE  PAGE  267. 


THE  GOLDEN  GOOSE 

down,  and  you  will  find  something  at  the  root."  Then 
he  took  his  leave,  and  went  his  way. 

Dummling  set  to  work,  and  cut  down  the  tree;  and 
when  it  fell,  he  found  in  a  hollow  under  the  roots  a 
goose  with  feathers  of  pure  gold.  He  took  it  up,  and 
went  on  to  an  inn,  where  he  proposed  to  sleep  for  the 
night.  The  landlord  had  three  daughters;  and  when 
they  saw  the  goose  they  were  very  curious  to  examine 
what  this  wonderful  bird  could  be,  and  wished  very 
much  to  pluck  one  of  the  feathers  out  of  its  tail.  At 
last  the  eldest  said,  "  I  must  and  will  have  a  feather." 
So  she  waited  till  his  back  was  turned,  and  then  seized 
the  goose  by  the  wing;  but  to  her  great  surprise  there 
she  stuck,  for  neither  hand  nor  finger  could  she  get 
away  again.  Presently  in  came  the  second  sister,  and 
thought  to  have  a  feather  too;  but  the  moment  she 
touched  her  sister,  there  she  too  hung  fast.  At  last 
came  the  third,  and  wanted  a  feather;  but  the  other  two 
cried  out,  "  Keep  away !  for  heaven's  sake,  keep  away !  " 
However,  she  did  not  understand  what  they  meant.  "  If 
they  are  there,"  thought  she,  "  I  may  as  well  be  there 
too."  So  she  went  up  to  them;  but  the  moment  she 
touched  her  sisters  she  stuck  fast,  and  hung  to  the  goose 
as  they  did.  And  so  they  kept  company  with  the  goose 
all  night. 

The  next  morning  Dummling  carried  off  the  goose 
under  his  arm;  and  took  no  notice  of  the  three  girls, 

265 


THE  GOLDEN  GOOSE 

but  went  out  with  them  sticking  fast  behind;  and  wher- 
ever he  travelled  they  too  were  obliged  to  follow, 
whether  they  would  or  no,  as  fast  as  their  legs  could 
carry  them. 

In  the  middle  of  a  field  the  parson  met  them;  and 
when  he  saw  the  train,  he  said,  "Are  you  not  ashamed 
of  yourselves,  you  bold  girls,  to  run  after  the  young  man 
in  that  way  over  the  fields?  is  that  proper  behaviour?  " 
Then  he  took  the  youngest  by  the  hand  to  lead  her 
away;  but  the  moment  he  touched  her  he  too  hung 
fast,  and  followed  in  the  train.  Presently  up  came  the 
clerk;  and  when  he  saw  his  master  the  parson  running 
after  the  three  girls,  he  wondered  greatly,  and  said, 
"  Hollo !  hollo !  your  reverence !  whither  so  fast?  there 
is  a  christening  to-day."  Then  he  ran  up,  and  took  him 
by  the  gown,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  fast  too.  As  the 
five  were  thus  trudging  along,  one  behind  another,  they 
met  two  labourers  with  their  mattocks  coming  from 
work;  and  the  parson  cried  out  to  them  to  set  him  free. 
But  scarcely  had  they  touched  him,  when  they  too  fell 
into  the  ranks,  and  so  made  seven,  all  running  after 
Dummling  and  his  goose. 

At  last  they  arrived  at  a  city,  where  reigned  a  King 
who  had  an  only  daughter.  The  Princess  was  of  so 
thoughtful  and  serious  a  turn  of  mind  that  no  one  could 
make  her  laugh;  and  the  King  had  proclaimed  to  all 
the  world,  that  whoever  could  make  her  laugh  should 

266 


THE  GOLDEN  GOOSE 

have  her  for  his  wife.  When  the  young  man  heard  this, 
he  went  to  her  with  his  goose  and  all  its  train;  and  as 
soon  as  she  saw  the  seven  all  hanging  together,  and 
running  about,  treading  on  each  other's  heels,  she  could 
not  help  bursting  into  a  long  and  loud  laugh.  Then 
Dummling  claimed  her  for  his  wife;  the  wedding  was 
celebrated,  and  he  was  heir  to  the  kingdom,  and  lived 
long  and  happily  with  his  wife. 


267 


R  UMPELSTILTSKIN 


R  UMPELSTILTSKIN 


N  a  certain  kingdom  once  lived  a 
poor  miller  who  had  a  very  beautiful 
daughter.  She  was  moreover  ex- 
ceedingly shrewd  and  clever;  and 
the  miller  was  so  vain  and  proud  of 
her,  that  he  one  day  told  the  King 
of  the  land  that  his  daughter  could 
spin  gold  out  of  straw.  Now  this 
King  was  very  fond  of  money;  and  when  he  heard  the 
miller's  boast,  his  avarice  was  excited,  and  he  ordered 
the  girl  to  be  brought  before  him.  Then  he  led  her 
to  a  chamber  where  there  was  a  great  quantity  of  straw, 
gave  her  a  spinning-wheel,  and  said,  "All  this  must  be 
spun  into  gold  before  morning,  as  you  value  your  life." 
It  was  in  vain  that  the  poor  maiden  declared  that  she 
could  do  no  such  thing;  the  chamber  was  locked  and 
she  remained  alone. 

She  sat  down  in  one  corner  of  the  room  and  began 
to  lament  over  her  hard  fate,  when  on  a  sudden  the  door 
opened,  and  a  droll-looking  little  man  hobbled  in,  and 
said,  "  Good  morrow  to  you,  my  good  lass,  what  are  you 
weeping  for?  "  "  Alas !  "  answered  she,  "  I  must  spin 
this  straw  into  gold,  and  I  know  not  how."  "  What  will 


271 


R  UMPELSTIL  TSKIN 

you  give  me,"  said  the  little  man,  "  to  do  it  for  you?  " 
"  My  necklace,"  replied  the  maiden.  He  took  her  at  her 
word,  and  sat  himself  down  to  the  wheel;  round  about 
it  went  merrily,  and  presently  the  work  was  done  and  the 
gold  all  spun. 

When  the  King  came  and  saw  this,  he  was  greatly 
astonished  and  pleased;  but  his  heart  grew  still  more 
greedy  of  gain,  and  he  shut  up  the  poor  miller's  daughter 
again  with  a  fresh  task.  Then  she  knew  not  what  to  do, 
and  sat  down  once  more  to  weep;  but  the  little  man 
presently  opened  the  door,  and  said,  "  What  will  you  give 
me  to  do  your  task?  "  "  The  ring  on  my  finger,"  re- 
plied she.  So  her  little  friend  took  the  ring,  and  began 
to  work  at  the  wheel,  till  by  the  morning  all  was  finished 
again. 

The  King  was  vastly  delighted  to  see  all  this  glitter- 
ing treasure;  but  still  he  was  not  satisfied,  and  took  the 
miller's  daughter  into  a  yet  larger  room,  and  said,  "  All 
this  must  be  spun  to-night;  and  if  you  succeed,  you  shall 
be  my  Queen."  As  soon  as  she  was  alone  the  dwarf  came 
in,  and  said,  "  What  will  you  give  me  to  spin  gold  for 
you  this  third  time?  "  "  I  have  nothing  left,"  said  she. 
"  Then  promise  me,"  said  the  little  man,  "  your  first  little 
child  when  you  are  Queen."  "  That  may  never  be," 
thought  the  miller's  daughter;  and  as  she  knew  no  other 
way  to  get  her  task  done,  she  promised  him  what  he  asked, 
and  he  spun  once  more  the  whole  heap  of  gold.  The 

272 


R  UMPELSTILTSKIN 

King  came  in  the  morning,  and  finding  all  he  wanted, 
married  her,  and  so  the  miller's  daughter  really  became 
Queen. 

At  the  birth  of  her  first  little  child  the  Queen  rejoiced 
very  much,  and  forgot  the  little  man  and  her  promise; 
but  one  day  he  came  into  her  chamber  and  reminded 
her  of  it.  Then  she  grieved  sorely  at  her  misfortune,  and 
offered  him  all  the  treasures  of  the  kingdom  in  exchange; 
but  in  vain,  till  at  last  her  tears  softened  him,  and  he  said, 
"  I  will  give  you  three  days'  grace,  and  if  during  that  time 
you  tell  me  my  name,  you  shall  keep  your  child." 

Now  the  Queen  lay  awake  all  night,  thinking  of  all 
the  odd  names  that  she  had  ever  heard,  and  despatched 
messengers  all  over  the  land  to  inquire  after  new  ones. 
The  next  day  the  little  man  came,  and  she  began  with 
Timothy,  Benjamin,  Jeremiah,  and  all  the  names  she 
could  remember ;  but  to  all  of  them  he  said,  "  That's  not 
my  name." 

The  second  day  she  began  with  all  the  comical  names 
she  could  hear  of,  Bandy-legs,  Hunch-back,  Crook- 
shanks,  and  so  on,  but  the  little  gentleman  still  said  to 
every  one  of  them,  "  That's  not  my  name." 

The  third  day  came  back  one  of  the  messengers,  and 
said,  "  I  can  hear  of  no  one  other  name ;  but  yesterday, 
as  I  was  climbing  a  high  hill  among  the  trees  of  the  forest 
where  the  fox  and  the  hare  bid  each  other  good  night, 
I  saw  a  little  hut,  and  before  the  hut  burnt  a  fire,  and 

273 


R  UMPELSTIL  TSKIN 

round  about  the  fire  danced  a  funny  little  man  upon  one 
leg,  and  sung : 

"  Merrily  the  feast  I'll  make, 
To-day  I'll  brew,  to-morrow  bake; 
Merrily  I'll  dance  and  sing, 
For  next  day  will  a  stranger  bring: 
Little  does  my  lady  dream 
Rumpelstiltskin  is  my  name!  " 

When  the  Queen  heard  this,  she  jumped  for  joy,  and  as 
soon  as  her  little  visitor  came,  and  said,  "  Now,  lady, 
what  is  my  name?  "  "  Is  it  John?  "  asked  she.  "  No!  " 
"Is  it  Tom?"  "No!" 

"Can  your  name  be  Rumpelstiltskin?" 

"  Some  witch  told  you  that!  Some  witch  told  you  that!  " 
cried  the  little  man,  and  dashed  his  right  foot  in  a  rage 
so  deep  into  the  floor,  that  he  was  forced  to  lay  hold  of 
it  with  both  hands  to  pull  it  out.  Then  he  made  the 
best  of  his  way  off,  while  everybody  laughed  at  him  for 
having  had  all  his  trouble  for  nothing. 


274 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 


NCE  upon  a  time  there  were  two 
brothers,  the  one  rich  and  the  other 
poor.  The  rich  man  was  a  gold- 
smith, and  of  an  evil  disposition; 
but  the  poor  brother  maintained 
himself  by  mending  brooms,  and 
withal  was  honest  and  pious.  He 
had  two  children — twins,  as  like 
one  another  as  two  drops  of  water — who  used  often  to 
go  into  their  rich  uncle's  house  and  receive  a  meal  off 
the  fragments  which  he  left.  One  day  it  happened  when 
the  poor  man  had  gone  into  the  wood  for  twigs  that  he 
saw  a  bird,  which  was  of  gold,  and  more  beautiful  than 
he  had  ever  before  set  eyes  on.  He  picked  up  a  stone 
and  flung  it  at  the  bird,  and  luckily  hit  it,  but  so  slightly 
that  only  a  single  feather  dropped  off.  This  feather  he 
took  to  his  brother,  who  looked  at  it  and  said,  "  It  is  of 
pure  gold! "  and  gave  him  a  good  sum  of  money  for  it. 
The  next  day  he  climbed  up  a  birch  tree  to  lop  off  a 
bough  or  two,  when  the  same  bird  flew  out  of  the 
branches,  and  as  he  looked  round  he  found  a  nest  which 
contained  an  egg,  also  of  gold.  This  he  took  home  as 
before  to  his  brother,  who  said  it  was  of  pure  gold,  and 


277 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

gave  him  what  it  was  worth,  but  said  that  he  must  have 
the  bird  itself.  For  the  third  time  now  the  brother  went 
into  the  forest,  and  saw  the  golden  bird  sitting  again 
upon  the  tree,  and  taking  up  a  stone  he  threw  it  at  it, 
and,  securing  it,  took  it  to  his  brother,  who  gave  him 
for  it  a  large  pile  of  gold.  With  this  the  man  thought 
he  might  return,  and  went  home  light-hearted. 

But  the  goldsmith  was  crafty  and  bold,  knowing 
very  well  what  sort  of  a  bird  it  was.  He  called  his  wife 
and  said  to  her,  "  Roast  this  bird  for  me,  and  take  care 
of  whatever  falls  from  it,  for  I  have  a  mind  to  eat  it 
by  myself."  Now,  the  bird  was  not  an  ordinary  one, 
certainly,  for  it  possessed  this  wonderful  power,  that 
whoever  should  eat  its  heart  and  liver  would  find  hence- 
forth every  morning  a  gold  piece  under  his  pillow.  The 
wife  made  the  bird  ready,  and  putting  it  on  a  spit,  set 
it  down  to  roast.  Now  it  happened  that  while  it  was 
at  the  fire,  and  the  woman  had  gone  out  of  the  kitchen 
on  some  other  necessary  work,  the  two  children  of  the 
poor  broom-mender  ran  in,  and  began  to  turn  the  spit 
round  at  the  fire  for  amusement.  Presently  two  little 
titbits  fell  down  into  the  pan  out  of  the  bird,  and  one  of 
the  boys  said,  "  Let  us  eat  these  two  little  pieces,  I  am  so 
hungry,  and  nobody  will  find  if  out."  So  they  quickly 
despatched  the  two  morsels,  and  presently  the  woman 
came  back,  and,  seeing  at  once  they  had  eaten  some- 
thing, asked  them  what  it  was.  "  Two  little  bits  which 

278 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

fell  down  out  of  the  bird,"  was  the  reply.  "  They  were 
the  heart  and  liver ! "  exclaimed  the  woman,  quite 
frightened;  and,  in  order  that  her  husband  might  not 
miss  them  and  be  in  a  passion,  she  quickly  killed  a  little 
chicken,  and,  taking  out  its  liver  and  heart,  put  it  inside 
the  golden  bird.  As  soon  as  it  was  done  enough  she 
carried  it  to  the  goldsmith,  who  devoured  it  quite  alone, 
and  left  nothing  at  all  on  the  plate.  The  next  morning, 
however,  when  he  looked  under  his  pillow,  expecting 
to  find  the  gold  pieces,  there  was  not  the  smallest  one 
possible  to  be  seen. 

The  two  children  did  not  know  what  good  luck  had 
fallen  upon  them,  and,  when  they  got  up  the  next  morn- 
ing, something  fell  ringing  upon  the  ground,  and  as  they 
picked  it  up  they  found  it  was  two  gold  pieces.  They 
took  them  to  their  father,  who  wondered  very  much, 
and  considered  what  he  should  do  with  them;  but  as 
the  next  morning  the  same  thing  happened,  and  so  on 
every  day,  he  went  to  his  brother,  and  narrated  to  him 
the  whole  story.  The  goldsmith  perceived  at  once  what 
had  happened,  that  the  children  had  eaten  the  heart 
and  the  liver  of  his  bird;  and  in  order  to  revenge  himself, 
and  because  he  was  so  covetous  and  hard-hearted,  he 
persuaded  the  father  that  his  children  were  in  league 
with  the  devil,  and  warned  him  not  to  take  the  gold, 
but  to  turn  them  out  of  the  house,  for  the  Evil  One 
had  them  in  his  power,  and  would  make  them  do 

279 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

some  mischief.  Their  father  feared  the  Evil  One,  and, 
although  it  cost  him  a  severe  pang,  he  led  his  children 
out  in  the  forest  and  left  them  there  with  a  sad  heart. 

Now,  the  two  children  ran  about  the  wood,  seeking 
the  road  home,  but  could  not  find  it,  so  that  they  only 
wandered  further  away.  At  last  they  met  a  huntsman, 
who  asked  to  whom  they  belonged.  "  We  are  the 
children  of  the  poor  broom-mender,"  they  replied,  and 
told  him  that  their  father  could  no  longer  keep  them 
at  home,  because  a  gold  piece  lay  under  their  pillows 
every  morning.  "  Well,"  replied  the  huntsman,  "  That 
does  not  seem  right,  if  you  are  honest  and  not  idle." 
And  the  good  man,  having  no  children  of  his  own,  took 
home  with  him  the  twins,  because  they  pleased  him, 
and  told  them  he  would  be  their  father  and  bring  them 
up.  With  him  they  learned  all  kinds  of  hunting,  and  the 
gold  pieces,  which  each  one  found  at  his  uprising,  they 
laid  aside  against  a  rainy  day. 

When  now  they  became  quite  young  men  the 
huntsman  took  them  into  the  forest,  and  said,  "  To- 
day you  must  perform  your  shooting  trial,  that  I  may 
make  you  free  huntsmen  like  myself."  So  they  went 
with  him,  and  waited  a  long  time,  but  no  wild  beast 
approached,  and  the  huntsman,  looking  up,  saw  a  flock 
of  wild  geese,  flying  over  in  the  form  of  a  triangle. 
"  Shoot  one  from  each  corner,"  said  he  to  the  twins,  and 
when  they  had  done  this,  another  flock  came  flying 

280 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

over  in  the  form  of  a  figure  of  two,  and  from  these  they 
were  also  bid  to  shoot  one  at  each  corner.  When  they 
had  likewise  performed  this  deed  successfully  their  foster- 
father  said,  "  I  now  make  you  free ;  for  you  are  capital 
marksmen." 

Thereupon  the  two  brothers  went  together  into  the 
forest,  laying  plans  and  consulting  with  each  other;  and, 
when  at  evening-time  they  sat  down  to  their  meal,  they 
said  to  their  foster-father,  "  We  shall  not  touch  the  least 
morsel  of  food  till  you  have  granted  our  request." 
He  asked  them  what  it  was,  and  they  replied : 
"We  have  now  learned  everything;   let  us   go   into 
the  world,  and  see  what  we  can  do  there,  and  let  us  set 


out  at  once." 


"  You  have  spoken  like  brave  huntsmen,"  cried  the 
old  man,  overjoyed;  "What  you  have  asked  is  just  what 
I  wished;  you  can  set  out  as  soon  as  you  like,  for  you 
will  be  prosperous." 

Then  they  ate  and  drank  together  once  more  in 
great  joy  and  hilarity. 

When  the  appointed  day  arrived,  the  old  huntsman 
gave  to  each  youth  a  good  rifle  and  a  dog,  and  let  them 
take  from  the  gold  pieces  as  many  as  they  liked.  Then 
he  accompanied  them  a  part  of  their  way,  and  at  leaving 
gave  them  a  bare  knife,  saying,  "  If  you  should  separate, 
stick  this  knife  in  a  tree  by  the  roadside,  and  then,  if 
one  returns  to  the  same  point,  he  can  tell  how  his  absent 

281 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

brother  fares;  for  the  side  upon  which  there  is  a  mark 
will,  if  he  die,  rust;  but  as  long  as  he  lives  it  will  be  as 
bright  as  ever." 

The  two  brothers  now  journeyed  on  till  they  came 
to  a  forest  so  large  that  they  could  not  possibly  get  out 
of  it  in  one  day,  so  there  they  passed  the  night,  and  ate 
what  they  had  in  their  hunters'  pockets.  The  second 
day  they  still  walked  on,  but  came  to  no  opening,  and 
having  nothing  to  eat,  one  said,  "  We  must  shoot  some- 
thing, or  we  shall  die  of  hunger " ;  and  he  loaded  his 
gun  and  looked  around.  Just  then  an  old  hare  came 
running  up,  at  which  he  aimed,  but  it  cried  out: 

"  Dear  huntsman,  pray  now  let  me  live, 
And  I  will  two  young  lev'rets  give." 

So  saying,  it  ran  back  into  the  brushwood  and 
brought  out  two  hares,  but  they  played  about  so  prettily 
and  actively  that  the  hunters  could  not  make  up  their 
mind  to  kill  them.  So  they  took  them  with  them,  and 
the  two  leverets  followed  in  their  footsteps.  Presently 
a  fox  came  up  with  them,  and,  as  they  were  about  to 
shoot  it,  it  cried  out: 

"  Dear  hunters,  pray  now  let  me  live, 
And  I  will  two  young  foxes  give." 

These  it  brought;  and  the  brothers,  instead  of  killing  them, 
put  them  with  the  young  hares,  and  all  four  followed.  In 
a  little  while  a  wolf  came  out  of  the  brushwood,  whom 
the  hunters  also  aimed  at,  but  he  cried  out  as  the  others: 

282 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

"  Dear  hunters,  pray  now  let  me  live, 
Two  young  ones,  in  return,  I'll  give." 

The  hunters  placed  the  two  wolves  with  the  other 
animals,  who  still  followed  them;  and  soon  they  met  a 
bear,  who  also  begged  for  his  life,  saying : 

"  Dear  hunters,  pray  now  let  me  live, 
Two  young  ones,  in  return,  I'll  give." 

These  two  bears  were  added  to  the  others:  they 
made  eight;  and  now  who  came  last?  A  lion,  shaking 
his  mane.  The  two  brothers  were  not  frightened,  but 
aimed  at  him,  and  he  cried : 

"  Dear  hunters,  pray  now  let  me  live, 
Two  young  ones,  in  return,  I'll  give." 

The  lion  then  fetched  his  two  young  cubs,  and  now  the 
huntsmen  had  two  lions,  two  bears,  two  wolves,  two 
foxes,  and  two  hares  following  and  waiting  upon  them. 
Meanwhile  their  hunger  had  received  no  satisfaction, 
and  they  said  to  the  foxes,  "  Here,  you  slinks,  get  us 
something  to  eat,  for  you  are  both  sly  and  crafty." 

The  foxes  replied,  "  Not  far  from  here  lies  a  village, 
where  we  can  procure  many  fowls,  and  thither  we  will 
show  you  the  way." 

So  they  went  into  the  village,  and  bought  something 
to  eat  for  themselves  and  their  animals,  and  then  went 
on  further,  for  the  foxes  were  well  acquainted  with  the 
country  where  the  hen-roosts  were,  and  so  could  direct 
the  huntsmen  well. 

283 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

For  some  little  way  they  walked  on  without  finding 
any  situations  where  they  could  live  together;  so  they 
said  to  one  another,  "  It  cannot  be  otherwise,  we  must 
separate."  Then  the  two  brothers  divided  the  beasts,  so 
that  each  one  had  a  lion,  a  bear,  a  wolf,  a  fox,  and  a 
hare;  and  then  they  took  leave  of  each  other,  promising 
to  love  one  another  till  death;  and  the  knife  which  their 
foster-father  gave  them  they  stuck  in  a  tree,  so  that  one 
side  pointed  to  the  east,  and  the  other  to  the  west. 

The  younger  brother  came  afterwards  with  his  animals 
to  a  town  which  was  completely  hung  with  black  crape. 
He  went  into  an  inn  and  inquired  if  he  could  lodge  his 
beasts,  and  the  landlord  gave  him  a  stable,  and  in  the 
wall  was  a  hole  through  which  the  hare  crept  and  seized 
upon  a  cabbage;  the  fox  fetched  himself  a  hen,  and  when 
he  had  eaten  it  he  stole  the  cock  also;  but  the  lion,  the 
bear,  and  the  wolf,  being  too  big  for  the  hole,  could  get 
nothing.  The  master,  therefore,  made  the  host  fetch  an 
ox  for  them,  on  which  they  regaled  themselves  merrily, 
and  so,  having  seen  after  his  beasts,  he  asked  the  land- 
lord why  the  town  was  all  hung  in  mourning.  The 
landlord  replied,  it  was  because  the  next  day  the  King's 
only  daughter  was  to  die.  "  Is  she  then  sick  unto 
death?  "  inquired  the  huntsman. 

"No,"  replied  the  other,  "she  is  well  enough;  but 
still  she  must  die." 

"  How  is  that?  "  asked  the  huntsman. 

284 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

"  Out  there  before  the  town,"  said  the  landlord,  "  is 
a  high  mountain  on  which  lives  a  dragon,  who  must 
every  year  have  a  pure  maiden,  or  he  would  lay  waste 
all  the  country.  Now,  all  the  maidens  have  been  given 
up,  and  there  is  but  one  left,  the  King's  daughter,  who 
must  also  be  given  up,  for  there  is  no  other  escape,  and 
to-morrow  morning  it  is  to  happen." 

The  huntsman  asked,  "  Why  is  the  dragon  not 
killed?  " 

"  Ah ! "  replied  the  landlord,  "  many  knights  have 
tried,  but  every  one  has  lost  his  life;  and  the  King 
has  promised  his  own  daughter  to  him  who  conquers 
the  dragon,  and  after  his  death  the  inheritance  of  his 
kingdom." 

The  huntsman  said  nothing  further  at  that  time,  but 
the  next  morning,  taking  with  him  his  beasts,  he  climbed 
the  dragon's  mountain.  A  little  way  up  stood  a  chapel, 
and  upon  an  altar  therein  were  three  cups,  and  by  them 
was  written,  "  Whoever  drinks  the  contents  of  these  cups 
will  be  the  strongest  man  on  earth,  and  may  take  the 
sword  which  lies  buried  beneath  the  threshold."  With- 
out drinking,  the  huntsman  sought  and  found  the  sword 
in  the  ground,  but  he  could  not  move  it  from  its  place; 
so  he  entered,  and  drank  out  of  the  cups,  and  then  he 
easily  pulled  out  the  sword,  and  was  so  strong  that  he 
waved  it  about  like  a  feather. 

When  the  hour  arrived  that  the  maiden  should  be 

285 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

delivered  over  to  the  dragon,  the  King  and  his  Marshal 
accompanied  her  with  all  the  court.  From  a  distance 
they  perceived  the  huntsman  upon  the  mountain,  and 
took  him  for  the  dragon  waiting  for  them,  and  so  would 
not  ascend;  but  at  last,  because  the  whole  city  must 
otherwise  have  been  sacrificed,  the  Princess  was  forced 
to  make  the  dreadful  ascent.  The  King  and  his  courtiers 
returned  home  full  of  grief,  but  the  Marshal  had  to  stop 
and  watch  it  all  from  a  distance. 

As  the  King's  daughter  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  she 
found  there  not  the  dragon,  but  the  young  hunter,  who 
comforted  her,  saying  he  would  save  her,  and,  leading 
her  into  the  chapel,  shut  her  up  therein.  In  a  short 
time  the  seven-headed  dragon  came  roaring  up  with  a 
tremendous  noise,  and,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  the 
hunter,  he  was  amazed,  and  asked,  "  What  do  you  here 
on  my  mountain?  " 

The  hunter  replied  that  he  came  to  fight  him,  and 
the  dragon  said,  breathing  out  fire  as  he  spoke  from  his 
seven  jaws,  "  Many  a  knight  has  already  left  his  life 
behind  him,  and  you  I  will  soon  kill  as  dead  as  they." 
The  fire  from  his  throat  set  the  grass  in  a  blaze,  and 
would  have  suffocated  the  hunter  with  the  smoke  had 
not  his  beasts  come  running  up  and  stamped  it  out. 
Then  the  dragon  made  a  dart  at  the  hunter,  but  he 
swung  his  sword  round  so  that  it  whistled  in  the  air, 
and  cut  off  three  of  the  beast's  heads.  The  dragon  now 

286 


Then  the  dragon  made  a  dart  at  the 
hunter,  but  he  swung  his  sword  round 
and  cut  off  three  of  the  beast's  heads. 


SEE  PAGE  296. 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

became  furious  and  raised  himself  in  the  air,  spitting  out 
fire  over  his  enemy,  and  trying  to  overthrow  him;  but 
the  hunter,  springing  on  one  side,  raised  his  sword  again, 
and  cut  off  three  more  of  his  heads.  The  beast  was  half 
killed  with  this,  and  sank  down,  but  tried  once  more  to 
catch  the  hunter,  but  he  beat  him  off,  and,  with  his  last 
strength,  cut  off  his  tail;  and  then,  being  unable  to  fight 
longer,  he  called  his  beasts,  who  came  and  tore  the 
dragon  in  pieces. 

As  soon  as  the  battle  was  over  he  went  to  the  chapel 
and  unlocked  the  door,  and  found  the  Princess  lying  on 
the  floor;  for,  from  anguish  and  terror,  she  had  fainted 
away  while  the  contest  was  going  on.  The  hunter 
carried  her  out,  and  when  she  came  "to  herself  and 
opened  her  eyes,  he  showed  her  the  dragon  torn  to 
pieces,  and  said  she  was  now  safe  for  ever.  The  sight 
made  her  quite  happy,  and  she  said,  "  Now  you  will  be 
my  husband,  for  my  father  has  promised  me  to  him  who 
should  kill  the  dragon."  So  saying,  she  took  off  her 
necklace  of  coral,  and  divided  it  among  the  beasts  for  a 
reward,  the  lion  receiving  the  gold  snap  for  his  share. 
But  her  handkerchief,  on  which  her  name  was  marked, 
she  presented  to  the  huntsman,  who  went  and  cut  out 
the  tongues  of  the  dragon's  seven  mouths,  and,  wrapping 
them  in  the  handkerchief,  preserved  them  carefully. 

All  this  being  done,  the  poor  fellow  felt  so  weary 
with  the  battle  with  the  dragon  and  the  fire,  that  he  said 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

to  the  Princess,  "  Since  we  are  both  so  tired,  let  us  sleep 
awhile."  She  consented,  and  they  lay  down  on  the 
ground,  and  the  hunter  bid  the  lion  watch  that  nobody 
surprised  them.  Soon  they  began  to  snore,  and  the  lion 
sat  down  near  them  to  watch:  but  he  was  also  weary 
with  fighting,  and  he  said  to  the  bear,  "  Do  you  lie  down 
near  me,  for  I  must  sleep  a  bit;  but  wake  me  up  if  any 
one  comes."  So  the  bear  did  as  he  was  bid;  but  soon 
getting  tired,  he  asked  the  wolf  to  watch  for  him.  The 
wolf  consented,  but  before  long  he  called  the  fox,  and 
said,  "  Do  watch  for  me  a  little  while,  I  want  to  have 
a  nap,  and  you  can  wake  me  if  any  one  comes."  The 
fox  lay  down  by  his  side,  but  soon  felt  so  tired  himself 
that  he  called  the  hare,  and  asked  him  to  take  his  place 
and  watch  while  he  slept  a  little.  The  hare  came,  and 
lying  down  too,  soon  felt  very  sleepy;  but  he  had  no 
one  to  call  in  his  place,  so  by  degrees  he  dropped  off 
himself,  and  began  to  snore.  Here,  then,  were  sleep- 
ing the  Princess,  the  huntsman,  the  lion,  the  bear,  the 
wolf,  the  fox,  and  the  hare;  and  all  were  very  sound 
asleep. 

Meanwhile  the  Marshal,  who  had  been  set  to  watch 
below,  not  seeing  the  dragon  fly  away  with  the  Princess, 
and  all  appearing  very  quiet,  took  heart,  and  climbed  up 
the  mountain.  There  lay  the  dragon,  dead  and  torn 
to  pieces  on  the  ground,  and  not  far  off  the  King's 
daughter  and  a  huntsman  with  his  beasts,  all  reposing 

290 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

in  a  deep  sleep.  Now,  the  Marshal  was  very  wickedly 
disposed,  and,  taking  his  sword,  he  cut  off  the  head  of 
the  huntsman,  and  then,  taking  the  maiden  under  his 
arm,  carried  her  down  the  mountain.  At  this  she  awoke, 
terrified,  and  the  Marshal  cried  to  her,  "  You  are  in  my 
hands;  you  must  say  that  it  was  I  who  have  killed  the 
dragon." 

"  That  I  cannot,"  she  replied,  "  for  a  hunter  and  his 
animals  did  it."  Then  he  drew  his  sword,  and  threatened 
her  with  death  if  she  did  not  obey,  till  at  last  she  was 
forced  to  consent.  Thereupon  he  brought  her  before 
the  King,  who  went  almost  beside  himself  with  joy  at 
seeing  again  his  dear  daughter,  whom  he  supposed  had 
been  torn  in  pieces  by  the  monster.  The  Marshal  told 
the  King  that  he  had  killed  the  dragon,  and  freed  the 
Princess  and  the  whole  kingdom,  and  therefore  he 
demanded  her  for  a  wife,  as  it  had  been  promised. 
The  King  inquired  of  his  daughter  if  it  were  true? 
"  Ah,  yes,"  she  replied,  "  it  must  be  so ;  but  I  make  a 
condition,  that  the  wedding  shall  not  take  place  for 
a  year  and  a  day";  for  she  thought  to  herself  that 
perhaps  in  that  time  she  might  hear  some  news  of  her 
dear  huntsman. 

But  up  the  dragon's  mountain  the  animals  still  lay 
asleep  beside  their  dead  master,  when  presently  a  great 
bee  came  and  settled  on  the  hare's  nose,  but  he  lifted  his 
paw  and  brushed  it  off.  The  bee  came  a  second  time, 

291 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

but  the  hare  brushed  it  off  again,  and  went  to  sleep. 
For  the  third  time  the  bee  settled,  and  stung  the  hare's 
nose  so  that  he  woke  quite  up.  As  soon  as  he  had  risen 
and  shaken  himself,  he  awoke  the  fox,  and  the  fox  awoke 
the  wolf,  the  wolf  awoke  the  bear,  and  the  bear  awoke 
the  lion.  As  soon  as  the  lion  got  up  and  saw  that  the 
maiden  was  gone  and  his  dear  master  dead,  he  began  to 
roar  fearfully,  and  asked,  "  Who  has  done  this?  Bear, 
why  did  you  not  wake  me?  "  The  bear  asked  the  wolf, 
"  Why  did  you  not  wake  me? "  The  wolf  asked  the 
fox,  "  Why  did  you  not  wake  me?  "  and  the  fox  asked 
the  hare,  "  Why  did  you  not  wake  me? "  The  poor 
hare  alone  had  nothing  to  answer,  and  the  blame  was 
attached  to  him,  and  the  others  would  have  fallen  upon 
him,  but  he  begged  for  his  life,  saying,  "  Do  not  kill 
me,  and  I  will  restore  our  dear  master  to  life.  I  know 
a  hill  where  grows  a  root,  and  he  who  puts  it  in  his 
mouth  is  healed  immediately  from  all  diseases  or  wounds; 
but  this  mountain  lies  two  hundred  hours'  journey  from 
hence." 

The  lion  said,  "  In  four-and-twenty  hours  you  must 
go  and  return  here,  bringing  the  root  with  you." 

The  hare  immediately  ran  off,  and  in  four-and- 
twenty  hours  returned  with  the  root  in  his  mouth. 
Now  the  lion  put  the  huntsman's  head  again  to  his 
body  while  the  hare  applied  the  root  to  the  wound,  and 
immediately  the  huntsman  began  to  revive,  and  his  heart 

292 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

beat  and  life  returned.  The  huntsman  now  awoke,  and 
was  frightened  to  see  the  maiden  no  longer  with  him, 
and  he  thought  to  himself,  "  Perhaps  she  ran  away  while 
I  slept,  to  get  rid  of  me."  But,  in  his  haste,  the  lion  had 
unluckily  set  his  master's  head  on  the  wrong  way,  but 
the  hunter  did  not  find  it  out  till  midday,  when  he 
wanted  to  eat,  being  so  occupied  with  thinking  about 
the  Princess.  Then,  when  he  wished  to  help  himself, 
he  discovered  his  head  was  turned  to  his  back,  and, 
unable  to  imagine  the  cause,  he  asked  the  animals  what 
had  happened  to  him  in  his  sleep.  The  lion  told  him 
that  from  weariness  they  had  all  gone  to  sleep,  and,  on 
awaking,  they  had  found  him  dead,  with  his  head  cut 
off;  that  the  hare  had  fetched  the  life-root,  but  in  his 
great  haste  he  had  turned  his  head  the  wrong  way,  but 
that  he  would  make  it  all  right  again  in  no  time.  So 
saying,  he  cut  off  the  huntsman's  head  and  turned 
it  round,  while  the  hare  healed  the  wound  with  the 
root. 

After  this  the  hunter  became  very  mopish,  and  went 
about  from  place  to  place  letting  his  animals  dance  to 
the  people  for  show.  It  chanced,  after  a  year's  time, 
that  he  came  again  into  the  same  town  where  he  had 
rescued  the  Princess  from  the  dragon;  and  this  time  it 
was  hung  all  over  with  scarlet  cloth.  He  asked  the 
landlord  of  the  inn,  "  What  means  this?  a  year  ago  the 
city  was  hung  with  black  crape,  and  to-day  it  is  all  in 

293 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

red!"  The  landlord  replied,  "A  year  ago  our  King's 
daughter  was  delivered  to  the  dragon,  but  our  Marshal 
fought  with  it  and  slew  it,  and  this  day  their  marriage  is 
to  be  celebrated;  before  the  town  was  hung  with  crape 
in  token  of  grief  and  lamentation,  but  to-day  with  scarlet 
cloth,  to  show  our  joy." 

The  next  day,  when  the  wedding  was  to  take  place, 
the  huntsman  said  to  the  landlord,  "  Believe  it  or  not, 
mine  host,  but  to-day  I  will  eat  bread  from  the  table  of 
the  King!" 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  will  wager  you  a  hundred 
pieces  that  that  doesn't  come  true." 

The  huntsman  took  the  bet,  and  laid  down  his 
money;  and  then,  calling  the  hare,  he  said,  "  Go,  dear 
Jumper,  and  fetch  me  a  bit  of  bread  such  as  the  King 


eats." 


Now,  the  hare  was  the  smallest,  and  therefore  could 
not  entrust  his  business  to  any  one  else,  but  was  obliged 
to  make  himself  ready  to  go.  "  Oh ! '"  thought  he,  "  if 
I  jump  along  the  streets  alone,  the  butchers'  dogs  will 
come  out  after  me." 

While  he  stood  considering,  it  happened  as  he 
thought;  for  the  dogs  came  behind  and  were  about  to 
seize  him  for  a  choice  morsel,  but  he  made  a  spring  (had 
you  but  seen  it!),  and  escaped  into  a  sentry-box  without 
the  soldier  knowing  it.  The  dogs  came  and  tried  to 
hunt  him  out,  but  the  soldier,  not  understanding  their 

294 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

sport,  beat  them  off  with  a  club,  so  that  they  ran  howl- 
ing and  barking  away.  As  soon  as  the  hare  saw  the 
coast  was  clear,  he  ran  up  to  the  castle  and  into  the  room 
where  the  Princess  was,  and,  getting  under  her  stool, 
began  to  scratch  her  foot.  The  Princess  said,  "  Will 
you  be  quiet? "  thinking  it  was  her  dog.  Then  the 
hare  scratched  her  foot  a  second  time,  and  she  said 
again,  "  Will  you  be  quiet?  "  But  the  hare  would  not 
leave  off,  and  a  third  time  scratched  her  foot;  and  now 
she  peeped  down  and  recognised  the  hare  by  his  neck- 
lace. She  took  him  up  in  her  arms,  and  carried  him  into 
her  chamber.  "  Dear  hare,  what  do  you  want?  "  The 
hare  replied,  "  My  master  who  killed  the  dragon  is  here, 
and  sent  me;  I  am  come  for  a  piece  of  bread  such  as 
the  King  eats." 

At  these  words  she  became  very  glad,  and  bade  her 
servant  bring  her  a  piece  of  bread  such  as  the  King  was 
accustomed  to  have.  When  it  was  brought,  the  hare 
said,  "  The  baker  must  carry  it  for  me,  or  the  butchers' 
dogs  will  seize  it."  So  the  baker  carried  it  to  the  door 
of  the  inn,  where  the  hare  got  upon  his  hind  legs, 
and,  taking  the  bread  in  his  forepaws,  carried  it  to  his 
master.  Then  the  huntsman  said,  "  See  here,  my  host; 
the  hundred  gold  pieces  are  mine." 

The  landlord  wondered  very  much,  but  the  hunts- 
man said  further,  "  Yes,  I  have  got  the  King's  bread, 
and  now  I  will  have  some  of  his  meat."  To  this  the 

295 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

landlord  demurred,  but  would  not  bet  again;  and  his 
guest,  calling  the  fox,  said,  "  My  dear  fox,  go  and 
fetch  me  some  of  the  meat  which  the  King  is  to  eat 
to-day." 

The  fox  was  more  cunning  than  the  hare,  and  went 
through  the  lanes  and  alleys,  without  seeing  a  dog, 
straight  to  the  royal  palace,  and  into  the  room  of  the 
Princess,  under  whose  stool  he  crept.  Presently  he 
scratched  her  foot,  and  the  Princess,  looking  down, 
recognised  the  fox  with  her  necklace,  and,  taking  him 
into  her  room,  she  asked,  "  What  do  you  want,  dear 
fox?  "  He  replied,  "  My  master  who  killed  the  dragon 
is  here,  and  sent  me  to  beg  a  piece  of  the  meat  such  as 
the  King  will  eat  to-day." 

The  Princess  summoned  the  cook,  and  made  her 
prepare  a  dish  of  meat  like  the  King's;  and,  when  it 
was  ready,  carry  it  for  the  fox  to  the  door  of  the  inn. 
Then  the  fox  took  the  dish  himself;  and,  first  driving 
the  flies  away  with  a  whisk  of  his  tail,  carried  it  in  to 
the  hunter. 

"See  here,  Master  Landlord,"  said  he;  "here  are 
the  bread  and  meat:  now  I  will  have  the  same  vegetables 
as  the  King  eats." 

He  called  the  wolf,  and  said,  "  Dear  wolf,  go  and 
fetch  me  some  vegetables  the  same  as  the  King  eats 
to-day." 

The  wolf  went  straight  to  the  castle  like  a  person  who 

296 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

feared  nobody,  and,  when  he  came  into  the  Princess's 
chamber,  he  plucked  at  her  clothes  behind  so  that  she 
looked  round.  The  maiden  knew  the  wolf  by  his  neck- 
lace, and  took  him  with  her  into  her  room,  and  said, 
"  Dear  wolf,  what  do  you  want?  " 

The  beast  replied,  "  My  master  who  killed  the  dragon 
is  here,  and  has  sent  me  for  some  vegetables  like  those 
the  King  eats  to-day." 

Then  she  bade  the  cook  prepare  a  dish  of  vegetables 
the  same  as  the  King's,  and  carry  it  to  the  inn  door  for 
the  wolf,  who  took  it  of  her  and  bore  it  in  to  his  master. 
The  hunter  said,  "  See  here,  my  host :  now  I  have  bread, 
meat  and  vegetables  the  same  as  the  King's;  but  I  will 
also  have  the  same  sweetmeats."  Then  he  called  to  the 
bear,  "  Dear  bear,  go  and  fetch  me  some  sweetmeats  like 
those  the  King  has  for  his  dinner  to-day,  for  you  like 
sweet  things."  The  bear  rolled  along  up  to  the  castle, 
while  every  one  got  out  of  his  way;  but,  when  he  came 
to  the  guard,  he  pointed  his  gun  at  him,  and  would 
not  let  him  pass  into  the  royal  apartments.  The  bear, 
however,  got  up  on  his  hind  legs,  and  gave  the  guard 
right  and  left  a  box  on  the  ears  with  his  paw,  which 
knocked  him  down;  and  thereupon  he  went  straight 
to  the  room  of  the  Princess,  and,  getting  behind  her, 
growled  slightly.  She  looked  round,  and  perceived  the 
bear,  whom  she  took  into  her  own  chamber,  and  asked 
him  what  he  came  for.  "  My  master  who  slew  the 

297 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

dragon  is  here,"  said  he,  "  and  has  sent  me  for  some 
sweetmeats  such  as  the  King  eats."  The  Princess  let 
the  sugar-baker  be  called,  and  bade  him  prepare  sweet- 
meats like  those  the  King  had,  and  carry  them  for  the 
bear  to  the  inn.  There  the  bear  took  charge  of  them; 
and,  first  licking  off  the  sugar  which  had  boiled  over,  he 
took  them  in  to  his  master. 

"See  here,  friend  landlord,"  said  the  huntsman; 
"  now  I  have  bread,  meat,  vegetables  and  sweetmeats 
from  the  table  of  the  King;  but  I  mean  also  to  drink 
his  wine." 

He  called  the  lion,  and  said,  "  Dear  lion,  I  should 
be  glad  to  have  a  draught;  go  and  fetch  me  some  wine 
like  that  the  King  drinks." 

The  lion  strode  through  the  town,  where  all  the 
people  made  way  for  him,  and  soon  came  to  the  castle, 
where  the  watchmen  attempted  to  stop  him  at  the  gates; 
but,  just  giving  a  little  bit  of  a  roar,  they  were  so 
frightened  that  they  all  ran  away.  He  walked  on  to 
the  royal  apartments,  and  knocked  with  his  tail  at  the 
door;  and,  when  the  Princess  opened  it,  she  was  at 
first  frightened  to  see  a  lion;  but,  soon  recognising  him 
by  the  gold  snap  of  her  necklace  which  he  wore,  she 
took  him  into  her  room,  and  asked,  "  Dear  lion,  what  do 
you  wish?  " 

The  lion  replied,  "  My  master  who  killed  the  dragon 
is  here,  and  has  sent  me  to  fetch  him  wine  like  that  the 

298 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

King  drinks  at  his  own  table."  The  Princess  summoned 
the  butler,  and  told  him  to  give  the  lion  wine  such  as  the 
King  drank.  But  the  lion  said,  "  I  will  go  down  with 
you  and  see  that  I  have  the  right."  So  he  went  with 
the  butler;  and,  as  they  were  come  below,  he  was  about 
to  draw  the  ordinary  wine,  such  as  was  drunk  by  the 
King's  servants,  but  the  lion  cried,  "  Hold!  I  will  first 
taste  the  wine  " ;  and,  drawing  for  himself  half  a  cupful, 
he  drank  it,  and  said,  "  No !  that  is  not  the  real  wine." 
The  butler  looked  at  him  askance,  and  went  to  draw 
from  another  cask  which  was  made  for  the  King's 
Marshal.  Then  the  lion  cried,  "  Hold !  first  I  must 
taste  " ;  and,  drawing  half  a  flagonful,  he  drank  it  off, 
and  said,  "This  is  better;  but  still  not  the  right  wine." 
At  these  words  the  butler  put  himself  in  a  passion,  and 
said,  "  What  does  such  a  stupid  calf  as  you  know  about 
wine?  "  The  lion  gave  him  a  blow  behind  the  ear,  so 
that  he  fell  down  upon  the  ground;  and  as  soon  as  he 
came  to  himself  he  led  the  lion  quite  submissively  into 
a  peculiar  little  cellar  where  the  King's  wine  was  kept, 
of  which  no  one  ever  dared  to  taste.  But  the  lion,  first 
drawing  for  himself  half  a  cupful,  tried  the  wine,  and 
saying,  "  This  must  be  the  real  stuff,"  bade  the  butler 
fill  six  bottles  with  it.  When  this  was  done  they 
mounted  the  steps  again,  and  as  the  lion  came  out  of 
the  cellar  into  the  fresh  air  he  reeled  about,  being  a  little 
elevated;  so  that  the  butler  had  to  carry  the  wine  basket 

299 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

for  him  to  the  inn,  where  the  lion,  taking  it  again  in  his 
mouth,  carried  it  in  to  his  master.  The  hunter  called 
the  landlord,  and  said,  "  See  here;  now  I  have  bread, 
meat,  vegetables,  sweetmeats  and  wine,  the  very  same  as 
the  King  will  himself  eat  to-day,  and  so  I  will  make  my 
dinner  with  my  animals."  They  sat  down  and  ate  and 
drank  away,  for  he  gave  the  hare,  the  fox,  the  wolf,  the 
bear  and  the  lion  their  share  of  the  good  things,  and  was 
very  happy,  for  he  felt  the  King's  daughter  still  loved 
him.  When  he  had  finished  his  meal  he  said  to  the 
landlord,  "  Now,  as  I  have  eaten  and  drunk  the  same 
things  as  the  King,  I  will  even  go  to  the  royal  palace 
and  marry  the  Princess." 

The  landlord  said,  "  How  can  that  be,  for  she  is 
already  betrothed,  and  to-day  the  wedding  is  to  be 
celebrated!" 

Then  the  hunter  drew  out  the  handkerchief  which 
the  King's  daughter  had  given  him  on  the  dragon's 
mountain,  and  wherein  the  seven  tongues  of  the 
dragon's  seven  heads  were  wrapped,  and  said,  "  This 
shall  help  me  to  do  it." 

The  landlord  looked  at  the  handkerchief  and  said, 
"  If  I  believe  all  that  has  been  done,  still  I  cannot  believe 
that,  and  will  wager  my  house  and  garden  upon  it." 

Thereupon  the  huntsman  took  out  a  purse  with  a 
thousand  gold  pieces  in  it,  and  said,  "  I  will  bet  you 
that  against  your  house  and  garden." 

300 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

Meantime  the  King  asked  his  daughter,  "  What  do 
all  these  wild  beasts  mean  who  have  come  to  you  to-day, 
and  passed  and  repassed  in  and  out  of  my  castle?  " 

She  replied,  "  I  dare  not  tell  you,  but  send  and  let 
the  master  of  these  beasts  be  fetched,  and  you  will  do 
well." 

The  King  sent  a  servant  to  the  inn  to  invite  the 
strange  man  to  come,  and  arrived  just  as  the  hunter  had 
concluded  his  wager  with  the  landlord.  So  he  said, 
"  See,  mine  host,  the  King  even  sends  a  servant  to  invite 
me  to  come,  but  I  do  not  go  yet."  And  to  the  servant 
he  said,  "  I  beg  that  the  King  will  send  me  royal  clothes, 
and  a  carriage  with  six  horses,  and  servants  to  wait  on 


me." 


When  the  King  heard  this  answer,  he  said  to  his 
daughter,  "  What  shall  I  do?  "  "  Do  as  he  desires,  and 
you  will  do  well,"  she  replied.  So  the  King  sent  a  suit 
of  royal  clothes,  a  carriage  with  six  horses,  and  some 
servants  to  wait  upon  the  man.  As  the  hunter  saw  them 
coming,  he  said  to  the  landlord,  "  See  here,  I  am  fetched 
just  as  I  desired,"  and,  putting  on  the  royal  clothes,  he 
took  the  handkerchief  with  him  and  drove  to  the  King. 
When  the  King  saw  him  coming,  he  asked  his  daughter 
how  he  should  receive  him,  and  she  said,  "  Go  out  to 
meet  him,  and  you  will  do  well."  So  the  King  met  him 
and  led  him  into  the  palace,  the  animals  following.  The 
King  showed  him  a  seat  near  himself  and  his  daughter, 

301 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

and  the  Marshal  sat  upon  the  other  side  as  the  bridegroom. 
Now,  against  the  walls  was  the  seven-headed  dragon 
placed,  stuffed  as  if  it  were  yet  alive;  and  the  King  said, 
"  The  seven  heads  of  that  dragon  were  cut  off  by  our 
Marshal,  to  whom  this  day  I  give  my  daughter  in 
marriage." 

Then  the  hunter  rose  up,  and,  opening  the  seven 
jaws  of  the  dragon,  asked  where  were  the  seven  tongues. 
This  frightened  the  Marshal,  and  he  turned  pale  as  death, 
but  at  last,  not  knowing  what  else  to  say,  he  stammered 
out,  "  Dragons  have  no  tongues." 

The  hunter  replied,  "  Liars  should  have  none,  but 
the  dragon's  tongues  are  the  trophies  of  the  dragon 
slayer  " ;  and  so  saying,  he  unwrapped  the  handkerchief, 
and  there  lay  all  seven,  and  he  put  one  into  each  mouth 
of  the  monster,  and  they  fitted  exactly.  Then  he  took 
the  handkerchief  upon  which  her  name  was  marked  and 
showed  it  to  the  maiden,  and  asked  her  to  whom  she 
had  given  it,  and  she  replied,  "  To  him  who  slew  the 
dragon."  Then  he  called  his  beasts,  and  taking  from 
each  the  necklace,  and  from  the  lion  the  golden  snap, 
he  put  them  together,  and  showing  them  to  the  Princess 
too,  asked  to  whom  they  belonged.  The  Princess  said, 
"  The  necklace  and  the  snap  were  mine,  and  I  shared  it 
among  the  animals  who  helped  to  conquer  the  dragon." 
Then  the  huntsman  said,  "  When  I  was  weary  and  rested 
after  the  fight,  the  Marshal  came  and  cut  off  my  head, 

302 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

and  then  took  away  the  Princess,  and  gave  out  that  it 
was  he  who  had  conquered  the  dragon.  Now  that  he 
has  lied,  I  show  these  tongues,  this  necklace  and  this 
handkerchief  for  proofs."  And  then  he  related  how  the 
beasts  had  cured  him  with  a  wonderful  root,  and  that  for 
a  year  he  had  wandered,  and  at  last  had  come  hither 
again,  where  he  had  discovered  the  deceit  of  the  Marshal 
through  the  innkeeper's  tale.  Then  the  King  asked 
his  daughter,  :<  Is  it  true  that  this  man  killed  the 
dragon?  " 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "it  is  true;  for  I  dared  not  dis- 
close the  treachery  of  the  Marshal,  because  he  threatened 
me  with  instant  death.  But  now  it  is  known  without  my 
mention,  and  for  this  reason  have  I  delayed  the  wedding 
a  year  and  a  day." 

After  these  words  the  King  ordered  twelve  coun- 
cillors to  be  summoned  who  should  judge  the  Marshal, 
and  these  condemned  him  to  be  torn  in  pieces  by  four 
oxen.  So  the  Marshal  was  executed,  and  the  King  gave 
his  daughter  to  the  huntsman,  and  named  him  Stadtholder 
over  all  his  kingdom.  The  wedding  was  celebrated  with 
great  joy,  and  the  young  King  caused  his  father  and 
foster-father  to  be  brought  to  him,  and  loaded  them 
with  presents.  He  did  not  forget  either  the  landlord, 
but  bade  him  welcome,  and  said  to  him,  "  See  you  here, 
my  host;  I  have  married  the  daughter  of  the  King,  and 
thy  house  and  garden  are  mine."  The  landlord  said 

303 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

that  was  according  to  right;  but  the  young  King  said, 
"It  shall  be  according  to  mercy";  and  he  gave  him 
back  not  only  his  house  and  garden,  but  also  presented 
him  with  the  thousand  gold  pieces  he  had  wagered. 

Now  the  young  King  and  Queen  were  very  happy, 
and  lived  together  in  contentment.  He  often  went  out 
hunting,  because  he  delighted  in  it;  and  the  faithful 
animals  always  accompanied  him. 

In  the  neighbourhood  there  was  a  forest  which  it 
was  said  was  haunted,  and  that  if  one  entered  it  he  did 
not  easily  get  out  again.  The  young  King,  however, 
took  a  great  fancy  to  hunt  in  it,  and  he  let  the  old  King 
have  no  peace  till  he  consented  to  let  him.  Away  then 
he  rode  with  a  great  company;  and,  as  he  approached 
the  forest,  he  saw  a  snow-white  hind  going  into  it;  so 
telling  his  companions  to  await  his  return,  he  rode  off 
among  the  trees,  and  only  his  faithful  beasts  accompanied 
him.  The  courtiers  waited  and  waited  till  evening,  but 
he  did  not  return;  so  they  rode  home  and  told  the 
young  Queen  that  her  husband  had  ridden  into  the  forest 
after  a  white  doe,  and  had  not  again  come  out.  The 
news  made  her  very  anxious  about  him.  He,  however, 
had  ridden  farther  and  farther  into  the  wood  after  the 
beautiful  animal  without  catching  it;  and,  when  he 
thought  it  was  within  range  of  his  gun,  with  one  spring 
it  got  away,  till  at  last  it  disappeared  altogether.  Then 
he  remarked  for  the  first  time  how  deeply  he  had 

304 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

plunged  into  the  thickets;  and,  taking  his  horn,  he  gave 
a  blast,  but  there  was  no  answer,  for  his  people  could 
not  hear  it.  Presently  night  began  to  close  in;  and 
perceiving  that  he  could  not  get  home  that  day,  he 
dismounted,  and,  making  a  fire,  prepared  to  pass  the 
night.  While  he  sat  by  the  fire,  with  his  beasts  lying 
near  all  around  him,  he  thought  he  heard  a  human 
voice,  but,  on  looking  round,  he  could  see  nobody. 
Soon  after  he  heard  again  a  groan,  as  if  from  a  box; 
and,  looking  up,  he  saw  an  old  woman  sitting  upon 
the  tree,  who  was  groaning  and  crying,  "  Oh,  oh,  oh, 
how  I  do  freeze ! "  He  called  out,  "  Come  down  and 
warm  yourself  if  you  freeze."  But  she  said,  "No;  your 
beasts  will  bite  me."  He  replied,  "They  will  not  harm 
you,  my  good  lady,  if  you  like  to  come  down."  But  she 
was  a  witch,  and  said,  "  I  will  throw  you  down  a  twig, 
which  if  you  beat  upon  their  backs  they  will  then  do 
nothing  to  me."  He  did  as  was  requested;  and  im- 
mediately they  lay  down  quietly  enough,  for  they  were 
changed  into  stones.  Now,  when  the  old  woman  was 
safe  from  the  animals,  she  sprang  down,  and,  touching 
the  King  too  with  a  twig,  converted  him  also  into  a 
stone.  Thereupon  she  laughed  to  herself,  and  buried 
him  and  his  beasts  in  a  grave  where  already  were  many 
more  stones. 

Meantime  the  young  Queen  was  becoming  more  and 
more  anxious  and  sad  when  her  husband  did  not  return; 

305 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

and  just  then  it  happened  that  the  other  brother,  who 
had  travelled  towards  the  east  when  they  separated,  came 
into  the  territory.  He  had  been  seeking  and  had  found 
no  service  to  enter,  and  was,  therefore,  travelling  through 
the  country,  and  making  his  animals  dance  for  a  living. 
Once  he  thought  he  would  go  and  look  at  the  knife 
which  they  had  stuck  in  a  tree  at  their  separation,  in 
order  to  see  how  his  brother  fared.  When  he  looked 
at  it,  lo!  his  brother's  side  was  half  rusty  and  half  bright! 
At  this  he  was  frightened,  and  thought  his  brother  had 
fallen  into  some  great  misfortune;  but  he  hoped  yet  to 
save  him,  for  one  half  of  the  knife  was  bright.  He 
therefore  went  with  his  beasts  towards  the  west ;  and,  as  he 
came  to  the  capital  city,  the  watch  went  out  to  him,  and 
asked  if  he  should  mention  his  arrival  to  his  bride,  for 
the  young  Queen  had  for  two  days  been  in  great  sorrow 
and  distress  at  his  absence,  and  feared  he  had  been  killed 
in  the  enchanted  wood.  The  watchman  thought  cer- 
tainly he  was  no  one  else  than  the  young  King,  for  he 
was  so  much  like  him,  and  had  also  the  same  wild 
beasts  returning  after  him.  The  huntsman  perceived  he 
was  speaking  of  his  brother,  and  thought  it  was  all  for 
the  best  that  he  should  give  himself  out  as  his  brother, 
for  so,  perhaps,  he  might  more  easily  save  him.  So  he 
let  himself  be  conducted  by  the  watchman  into  the 
castle,  and  was  there  received  with  great  joy,  for  the 
young  Queen  took  him  for  her  husband  also,  and  asked 

306 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

him  where  he  had  stopped  so  long.  He  told  her  he  had 
lost  his  way  in  a  wood,  and  could  not  find  his  way  out 
earlier. 

For  a  couple  of  days  he  rested  at  home,  but  was 
always  asking  about  the  enchanted  wood;  and  at  last  he 
said,  "  I  must  hunt  there  once  more."  The  King  and 
the  young  Queen  tried  to  dissuade  him,  but  he  was  re- 
solved and  went  out  with  a  great  number  of  attendants. 
As  soon  as  he  got  into  the  wood,  it  happened  to  him  as 
to  his  brother:  he  saw  a  white  hind,  and  told  his  people 
to  wait  his  return  where  they  were,  while  he  hunted  the 
wild  animal,  and  immediately  rode  off,  his  beasts  follow- 
ing his  footsteps.  But  he  could  not  catch  the  hind  any 
more  than  his  brother;  and  he  went  so  deep  into  the 
wood  that  he  had  to  pass  the  night  there.  As  soon  as 
he  had  made  a  fire,  he  heard  some  one  groaning  above 
him,  and  saying,  "  Oh,  oh,  oh,  how  I  do  freeze !  "  Then 
he  looked  up  and  there  sat  the  same  old  witch  in  the 
tree,  and  he  said  to  her,  "  If  you  freeze,  old  woman,  why 
don't  you  come  down  and  warm  yourself?  "  She  replied, 
"  No,  your  beasts  would  bite  me ;  but  if  you  would  beat 
them  with  a  twig  which  I  will  throw  down  to  you,  they 
can  do  me  no  harm."  When  the  hunter  heard  this,  he 
doubted  the  old  woman,  and  said  to  her,  "  I  do  not  beat 
my  beasts;  so  come  down,  or  I  will  fetch  you."  But 
she  called  out,  "  What  are  you  thinking  of,  you  can  do 
nothing  to  me? "  He  answered,  "  Come  down,  or  I 

307 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

will  shoot  you."  The  old  woman  laughed,  and  said, 
"  Shoot  away!  I  am  not  afraid  of  your  bullets!  " 

He  knelt  down  and  shot,  but  she  was  bullet  proof; 
and,  laughing  till  she  yelled,  called  out,  "  You  cannot 
catch  me."  However,  the  hunter  knew  a  trick  or  two, 
and  tearing  three  silver  buttons  from  his  coat,  he  loaded 
his  gun  with  them;  and,  while  he  was  ramming  them 
down,  the  old  witch  threw  herself  from  the  tree  with  a 
loud  shriek,  for  she  was  not  proof  against  such  shot. 
He  placed  his  foot  upon  her  neck,  and  said,  "  Old  witch, 
if  you  do  not  tell  me  quickly  where  my  brother  is,  I 
will  tie  your  hands  together,  and  throw  you  into  the 
fire!" 

She  was  in  great  anguish,  begged  for  mercy,  and 
said,  "  He  lies  with  his  beasts  in  a  grave,  turned  into 
stone."  Then  he  forced  her  to  go  with  him,  threatening 
her,  and  saying,  'You  old  cat!  now  turn  my  brother 
and  all  the  creatures  which  lie  here  into  their  proper 
forms,  or  I  will  throw  you  into  the  fire !  " 

The  old  witch  took  a  twig,  and  changed  the  stones 
back  to  what  they  were;  and  immediately  his  brother 
and  the  beasts  stood  before  the  huntsman,  as  well  as 
many  merchants,  workpeople,  and  shepherds  who,  de- 
lighted with  their  freedom,  returned  home;  but  the 
twin  brothers,  when  they  saw  each  other  again,  kissed 
and  embraced,  and  were  very  glad.  They  seized  the 
old  witch,  bound  her,  and  laid  her  on  the  fire;  and, 

308 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

when  she  was  consumed,  the  forest  itself  disappeared,  and 
all  was  clear  and  free  from  trees,  so  that  one  could  see 
the  royal  palace  three  miles  off. 

Now  the  two  brothers  went  together  home;  and  on 
the  way  told  each  other  their  adventures.  And  when 
the  younger  one  said  he  was  lord  over  the  whole  land 
in  place  of  the  King,  the  other  one  said,  "  All  that  I  was 
well  aware  of,  for  when  I  went  into  the  city  I  was  taken 
for  you.  And  all  kingly  honour  was  paid  to  me,  the 
young  Queen  even  mistaking  me  for  her  true  husband, 
and  making  me  sit  at  her  table,  and  sleep  in  her  room." 
When  the  first  one  heard  this,  he  became  very  angry, 
and  so  jealous  and  passionate  that,  drawing  his  sword, 
he  cut  off  the  head  of  his  brother.  But  as  soon  as  he 
had  done  so,  and  saw  the  red  blood  flowing  from  the 
dead  body,  he  repented  sorely,  and  said,  "  My  brother 
has  saved  me,  and  I  have  killed  him  for  so  doing  " ;  and 
he  groaned  pitifully.  Just  then  the  hare  came,  and 
offered  to  fetch  the  healing  root,  and  then,  running  off, 
brought  it  just  at  the  right  time,  so  that  the  dead  man 
was  restored  to  life  again,  and  not  even  the  mark  of  the 
wound  was  to  be  seen. 

After  this  adventure  they  went  on,  and  the  younger 
brother  said,  "  You  see  that  we  have  both  got  on  royal 
robes,  and  have  both  the  same  beasts  following  us;  we 
will,  therefore,  enter  the  city  at  opposite  gates,  and  arrive 
from  the  two  quarters  the  same  time  before  the  King." 

309 


THE  TWO  BROTHERS 

So  they  separated;  and  at  the  same  moment  the 
watchman  from  each  gate  came  to  the  King,  and  in- 
formed him  that  the  young  Prince  with  the  beasts  had 
returned  from  the  hunt.  The  King  said,  "  It  is  not 
possible,  for  your  two  gates  are  a  mile  asunder ! "  But 
in  the  meantime  the  two  brothers  had  arrived  in  the 
castle  yard,  and  began  to  mount  the  stairs.  When  they 
entered,  the  King  said  to  his  daughter,  "Tell  me  which 
is  your  husband,  for  one  appears  to  me  the  same  as  the 
other,  and  I  cannot  tell."  The  Princess  was  in  great 
trouble,  and  could  not  tell  which  was  which:  but  at 
last  she  bethought  herself  of  the  necklace  which  she  had 
given  to  the  beasts,  and  she  looked  and  found  on  one 
of  the  lions  her  golden  snap,  and  then  she  cried  exult- 
ingly,  "  He  to  whom  this  lion  belongs  is  my  rightful 
husband."  Then  the  young  King  laughed  and  said, 
"  Yes,  that  is  right " ;  and  they  sat  down  together  at 
table,  and  ate  and  drank  and  were  merry.  At  night 
when  the  young  King  went  to  bed,  his  wife  asked  him 
why  he  had  placed  on  the  two  previous  nights  a  sword 
in  the  bed,  for  she  thought  it  was  to  kill  her.  Then  the 
young  King  knew  how  faithful  his  brother  had  been. 


THE  END 


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